Rules and guidelines

Let's try to keep the rules of the GEB Wiki simple. Here's what I (Rspeer) suggest:


 * 1. Be excellent to each other
 * Welcome people's contributions and discussion. Help them when you can. Support people's experience of reading the book. Don't be a jerk. If you find yourself in an edit war, maybe you should take it to the Forum.


 * 2. Keep things legal
 * We of course don't want the wiki to get shut down, or to have to deal with takedown notices. Don't, for example, link to bootleg e-books of GEB. (The bootleg versions are terrible anyway.)

Doesn't it feel like there should be three rules? It's strange just to have two of something. But let's not add a third rule until we need one.

Instead, here are some fuzzier guidelines.


 * Keep things neat
 * This has a lot of implications. Over time, we want this to be a resource for anyone reading the book. We don't want it to become a heap of unfocused writing that nobody wants to look at. You're welcome to add to an article, including your own personal thoughts in the "Commentary" section. But you're also welcome to edit and even remove things from the article when it's getting too messy. The best way to make sure your commentary will stick is to be concise and on-topic.


 * Be coherent
 * Try to say things that are distinguishable from someone who is currently high saying "Wow, man, the whole universe is like, recursive, man." If your thinking is getting muddy enough that you can't make sense when you write about it, try asking questions to un-muddy your thinking.


 * Avoid spreading confusion
 * Lots of people have written and created things based on GEB. A few of those people are mentally ill. A few of those people are merely misguided. When you're referring to sources, try to find out if they're good ones.


 * Avoid off-topic arguments
 * This is a concern I've had, although the GEB subreddit has actually been quite good about this. GEB makes some sweeping philosophical statements that can provoke philosophical arguments. These may be fine and relevant. But sometimes philosophical arguments turn into religious or political arguments, which would quickly stop being about GEB. Don't let that happen.