Talk:Mario Montessori Sr.

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[edit] Please do not delete

• I find it amusing that without being aware of the Montessori Movement and the important people involved in it you simply place articles related to them for speedy deletion. The article on Mario Montessori Sr. clearly indicates that he was the man who helped Maria in all her endeavors. Please understand that without Mario, Maria Montessori could not have even achieved a tenth of what she set out to. And I would like to place on record at this forum that I will putting up biographies of such unsung heroes and hope that fellow wikipedians try and give them their due by not deleting these biographies. 05:38, 4 December 2007 User:Nsram

[edit] Neutrality

• The neutrality of this article is disputed. It needs editing by independent reviewers. Sting_au Talk 06:16, 4 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Direction for article changes

Nsram, I hope I've answered some of the confusion about this on your talk page.

I've added two tags to the article. Let me explain what's meant.

There's a request for sources in third-party publications. Although readers will certainly want to hear from primary sources, it's critical in Wiki to maintain a balance. Completely neutral sources are very good. Neutral sources will mention negative and positive (or completely objective) aspects of the situation. A publication written by Maria Montessori is not neutral. It can be assumed in this case to say largely positive things.

I've added a tag that the article is written like a personal essay. In personal essays, often the writer is expected to express a personal opinion. That is quite opposite to what Wikipedia requires. So, as an example, article statements such as this should not be used:

"Often geniuses suffer isolation because they are far ahead of their times and are not properly understood by other people."

To assess whether statements are appropriate, it might be fruitful, in your mind, to create a statement that is exactly the opposite, and imagine how you could prove (with citations) the statement to be wrong. I'll make one up for you:

"Often geniuses suffer isolation because they have no understanding of the practicalities of society or business, and fantasize that other people are wrong because they have different opinions."

My point is that the statement made in the article is as difficult to defend as mine is. Maybe sometimes it's true, and maybe sometimes it isn't. And how could one possibly prove that Mario Montessori Sr. was one or the other? That's your job. If you can't prove something, if you can't make a case which can be defended -- then the statement does not belong in an encyclopedia -- no matter how strongly you feel about it.

Powerful statements can be made in Wiki, it's just that such positions need to be constructed carefully. And you should expect other editors who have a different opinion will respond -- in your article. If you don't accept that, then it's probably better to find another forum besides Wiki.

67.169.127.166 (talk) 04:05, 29 April 2008 (UTC)