Wikipedia:All Five Pillars are the same height

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Even these eight pillars are all the same height. If one pillar would be shorter than the rest, then the shorter pillar would be completely unnecessary.

The Five Pillars of Wikipedia are considered fundamental to the Wikipedia project. No pillar is taller or shorter than the other — each pillar must have the same importance for the good of the entire project.

If one pillar was less important than another, then we would just have the "four pillars of Wikipedia" — but there are five.

The Five Pillars[edit]

Here's a list of the five pillars of Wikipedia that has the equal right:

  1. Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia.
  2. Wikipedia is written from a neutral point of view.
  3. Wikipedia is free content that anyone can use, edit, and distribute.
  4. Wikipedians should treat each other with respect and civility.
  5. Wikipedia has no firm rules.

Imagine if editors only focused on four of those five. What would the community become? What would happen to the project?

  1. If we stopped having Wikipedia be an encyclopedia, it might become more of a social media outlet, news source, or even a free web hosting server. That is not the purpose of Wikipedia. Also, it is not good for Wikipedia.
  2. If we stopped writing from a neutral point of view, the articles would start to contain opinions, or be used as a political tool. That would not make Wikipedia better.
  3. If we no longer created free content, that would reduce global enthusiasm and weaken Wikipedia.
  4. If we stop treating each other with respect and civility, we run the risk of driving away volunteers.
  5. If we create and stick to firm rules, we become a machine rather than a collaborative process (you can see this in German Wikipedia). That would not make Wikipedia better.

While it certainly is valid for an editor to focus on one pillar instead of another based on their enthusiasm and knowledge, editors should be careful to not sacrifice one column for any of the others. None of the pillars are mutually exclusive. We need them all. They are our five pillars.

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