Wikipedia:Ignoring all rules - a beginners guide

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an essay; it contains the advice and/or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. It is not a policy or guideline, and editors are not obliged to follow it.

Shortcut: WP:IAR-abg

This page in a nutshell: Wikipedia: Ignore All Rules - but only for good reasons

It has been suggested that this page or section be merged with Wikipedia:Suggestions on how to ignore all rules. (Discuss)

It has been suggested that this page or section be merged with Wikipedia:What "Ignore all rules" means. (Discuss)

Wikipedia: Ignore All Rules, often referred to as WP:IAR, is one of the five pillars of Wikipedia. It's remarkable in its brevity, and is reproduced in full below:

If the rules prevent you from improving or maintaining Wikipedia, ignore them.

or, in its original form:

If rules make you nervous and depressed, and not desirous of participating in the Wiki, then ignore them and go about your business.

perhaps the spirit of the rule could be said in an even better way

Use your common sense over anything else

There are multiple legitimate purposes for this rule to exist. For example:

It prevents Wikipedia turning into a bureaucracy where nothing happens, and helps cut down on red tape. No-one can read all the rules, and it encourages people to be WP:BOLD
It means things can be done which might be against the word of the policy but passes the essence of them. It's the equivalent of "Use your common sense" - a typical example is if you think something notable is being deleted that doesn't quite fit in policy.
It tries to prevent people getting obsessive and stressed over little things. Stop worrying about the little things - if you're doing things for the greater good that's all that matters even if it turns out you were wrong.
It allows to consensus to adapt over time, allowing rules to change. Since Wikipedia is consensus, think of it as Wikipedia's Jury nullification.

However, many people seem to misunderstand the spirit of the rule, and think it's a convenient excuse to ignore anything they disagree with. This goes against the intention of the rule. Essentially, WP:IAR has some things implied:

Don't cite Ignore All Rules for acting like an idiot. Civility always applies, and don't try to disrupt Wikipedia.
Don't abuse Ignore All Rules if you're an admin using admin features.
Don't use it out of pure laziness. Ideally, read the relevant policies and cite WP:IAR explaining the reasons why, despite the policy also acknowledging that this isn't always possible due to the sheer breadth of policy, guidelines and bureaucracy.
Don't use it to try and create rifts in the community.
Don't try and use it to get around WP:CONSENSUS. Deleting stuff that people disagree with in an article, for example.

Think of it like "free speech". It exists, but there's limitations. Use your common sense, dammit!