KATHERINE MAHER

Critical for moving from polarization to productivity is that the Wikipedians who write these articles aren't actually focused on finding the truth. They're working for something that's a little bit more attainable, which is the best of what we can know right now. And after seven years there, I actually believe that they're onto something, that for our most tricky disagreements, seeking the truth, and seeking to convince others of the truth, isn't necessarily the best place to start. In fact, I think our reverence for the truth might have become a bit of a distraction that is preventing us from finding consensus and getting important things done.

The thing that Wikipedia focuses on is not truth nor facts, it's reliable, verifiable information. And what we would say is that as the world's consensus changes about what is reliable, verifiable information, the information for us will change too. […] If Wikipedia had been around a couple hundred years ago we probably would have had an article that says that the Sun revolves around the Earth because that was what we understood to be true. […] So we're not really in the business of truth or facts, we're in the business of what is known, and what has been determined through consensus—scientific consensus or otherwise. And I think that that actually provides some clarity on how to understand what information you're looking at.

Now, none of this is to say that the truth isn’t important. The truth obviously exists. It’s at the core—or the search for the truth—is at the core of some of our greatest human achievements. It can animate and inspire us to do, learn and create great things. But I think in our messy human hearts, we also know that the truth is something of a fickle mistress and that the beauty of the truth is often in the struggle. It’s the reason that we have so many sublime chronicles of the human experience, because we have so many different truths to be explored…. For many of us, truth is what we make when we merge facts about the world with our beliefs about the world. Each of us has our own truth and it’s probably a good one.

“America begins in black plunder and white democracy.” I appreciate the day off today to finally fully read The Case for Reparations. . . . I grew up feeling superior (hah, how white of me) because I was from New England and my part of the country didn’t have slaves, or so I’d been taught. . . . Yes, our original collective sin and unpaid debt. Yes, reparations. Yes, on this day.

The thing that Wikipedia focuses on is not truth nor facts, it's reliable, verifiable information. And what we would say is that as the world's consensus changes about what is reliable, verifiable information, the information for us will change too. […] If Wikipedia had been around a couple hundred years ago we probably would have had an article that says that the Sun revolves around the Earth because that was what we understood to be true. […] So we're not really in the business of truth or facts, we're in the business of what is known, and what has been determined through consensus—scientific consensus or otherwise. And I think that that actually provides some clarity on how to understand what information you're looking at.

“America begins in black plunder and white democracy.” I appreciate the day off today to finally fully read The Case for Reparations. . . . I grew up feeling superior (hah, how white of me) because I was from New England and my part of the country didn’t have slaves, or so I’d been taught. . . . Yes, our original collective sin and unpaid debt. Yes, reparations. Yes, on this day.

Critical for moving from polarization to productivity is that the Wikipedians who write these articles aren't actually focused on finding the truth. They're working for something that's a little bit more attainable, which is the best of what we can know right now. And after seven years there, I actually believe that they're onto something, that for our most tricky disagreements, seeking the truth, and seeking to convince others of the truth, isn't necessarily the best place to start. In fact, I think our reverence for the truth might have become a bit of a distraction that is preventing us from finding consensus and getting important things done.

Now, none of this is to say that the truth isn’t important. The truth obviously exists. It’s at the core—or the search for the truth—is at the core of some of our greatest human achievements. It can animate and inspire us to do, learn and create great things. But I think in our messy human hearts, we also know that the truth is something of a fickle mistress and that the beauty of the truth is often in the struggle. It’s the reason that we have so many sublime chronicles of the human experience, because we have so many different truths to be explored…. For many of us, truth is what we make when we merge facts about the world with our beliefs about the world. Each of us has our own truth and it’s probably a good one.