UDWiki:Open Discussion/Ignore all rules

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Notice

This is NOT a policy discussion. This is an Open Discussion about an issue regarding the wiki. Please treat it as such and contribute with that in mind.

If a rule prevents you from improving or maintaining Urban Dead, ignore it. Every rule will still apply as long as it does not hinder improving or maintaing this wiki.

What "Ignore all rules" means

1. You are not required to learn the rules before contributing. Yes, we already said that, but it is worth repeating.
2. Don't follow written instructions mindlessly, but rather, consider how the wiki is improved or damaged by each edit.
3. Rules derive their power to compel not from being written down on a page labelled "guideline" or "policy", but from being a reflection of the shared opinions and practices of a great many editors.
4. Most rules are ultimately descriptive, not prescriptive; they describe existing current practice. They sometimes lag behind the practices they describe.
5. WikiLawyering doesn't work. Loopholes and technicalities do not exist on the wiki. We are not a bureaucracy; not moot court, nor nomic, nor Mao.
6. The spirit of the rule trumps the letter of the rule. If this common purpose is better served by ignoring the letter of a particular rule, then that rule should perhaps be ignored.
7. Following the rules is less important than using good judgment and being thoughtful and considerate, always bearing in mind that good judgment is not displayed only by those who agree with you.

What "Ignore all rules" does not mean

1. "Ignore all rules" does not mean that every action is justifiable. It is neither a trump card nor a carte blanche. A rule-ignorer must justify how their actions improve the encyclopedia if challenged. Actually, everyone should be able to do that at all times.
2. "Ignore all rules" does not stop you from pointing out a rule to someone who has broken it, but do consider that their judgment may have been correct.
3. "Ignore all rules" is not an answer if someone asks you why you broke a rule. Most of the rules are derived from a lot of thoughtful experience and exist for pretty good reasons; they should therefore only be broken for good reasons.
4. "Ignore all rules" is not an exemption from accountability. You're still responsible for reasonably foreseeable effects of your actions on the wiki and on other editors.
5. "Ignore all rules" is not an invitation to use this wiki for purposes contrary to that of improving and maintaining this wiki.

See also

What "Ignore all rules" means