It's all there in the "discussion" pages.


Yes, I know. Heated and fascinating debates can be found in the "discussion" pages of the Wikipedia. The "history" pages are filled with the give and take, perhaps the push and shove, of disagreement, often intense disagreement. We can relate to a Wikipedia entry as the tip of an iceberg, where the "discussion" and "history" pages are the 90% that are below the surface, a seething and bubbling 90%. Reading those pages can be at least as interesting as finding web pages that take a position on a subject, that try to convince.

Those "behind the scenes" pages, however, are rarely viewed by people who come to the Wikipedia looking for specific information, who want a quick answer to a question. They should perhaps be considered a sort of refined taste, an off-the-map vacation spot that only people with a desire to rough-it might visit. And since they're not part of a travel-agent-provided tour, I doubt that I have to take them into consideration here.



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