Alms Quote by Mary H.K. Choi
“Consider this: alms aside, Wikipedia is fueled by competitive pedantry and emo-ness. How great is that?”
About This Quote
Source Essay: 2020 piece on Wikipedia culture, 2020
She critiques Wikipedia’s competitive, pedantic, and emotional contributors.
In simple terms: Wikipedia driven by competition and emotion.
Key Takeaway
Be aware of bias in collaborative knowledge.
Themes
critique
knowledge
community
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
cultural
philosophical
When to use this quote
- online research
- editing
- content creation
Key Concepts
digital culture
information ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- How does competition affect knowledge quality?
- Can emotion improve or hinder accuracy?
A Different Perspective
May overgeneralize Wikipedia’s community.
![“Pedantry and mastery are opposite attitudes toward rules. To apply a rule to the letter, rigidly, unquestioningly, in cases where it fits and in cases where it does not fit, is pedantry. [...] To apply a rule with natural ease, with judgment, noticing the cases where it fits, and without ever…” quote by George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/927/george-polya-10766_action_pedantry-and-mastery-are-opposite-attitu_112396.jpg)
![“The most ingenious men are now agreed, that [universities] are only nurseries of prejudice, corruption, barbarism, and pedantry.” quote by George Berkeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/445/george-berkeley-8287_barbarism_the-most-ingenious-men-are-now-agreed-th_494914.jpg)
![“Give a drink of water as alms to the birds which go forth at morning, and deem that they have a better right than men [to thy charity]. For their race brings not harm upon thee in any wise, when thou fearest it from thine own race.” quote by Al-Maʿarri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/915/al-ma-arri-47224_alms_give-a-drink-of-water-as-alms-to-the-bir_171746.jpg)