Wikipedia:Consensus can change
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This page is an official policy on the English Wikipedia. It has wide acceptance among editors and is considered a standard that all users should follow. When editing this page, please ensure that your revision reflects consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page. |
Wikipedia strives for consensus to build an encyclopedia. Since the Wiki grows and develops, consensus can change at a later date. That does not mean you should ignore a consensual decision; it means that everything in the wiki is subject to change at a later date. Later objections to a decision might represent a change in consensus that may need to be taken in account, regardless of whether that earlier decision was made by a poll or other method. In order to reach the best possible decisions, we hold it important to listen carefully to each other's arguments, and to try to find mutually acceptable solutions in conflicts. Polls are the exception and not the rule, and where they do exist they are not binding.
If you think a consensual decision is outdated, you should ask around a bit, for example at the Village Pump, through a Request for Comment, or on an article talk page, to see if people agree with you. You cannot declare a new consensus all by yourself.
It is the nature of the wiki to be ever-changing. New people visit every day, and through new information and new ideas, we may gain insights we didn't have previously. It is important that there is a way to challenge past decisions, whether they have been reached by poll or consensus. Decisions should therefore practically never be "binding" in the sense that the decision cannot be taken back.
However, some decisions are binding until those who made the decision recall it. This is mostly limited to the bans imposed by Jimmy Wales, the Arbitration Committee, and the Board of the Wikimedia Foundation. These decisions can be reviewed by and appealed to the source body.
