Wikipedia:Writing for the opponent

This is an essay.

It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.

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Writing for the enemy is the process of explaining another person's point of view as clearly and fairly as you can, similar to devil's advocate. The intent is to satisfy the adherents and advocates of that perspective that you understand their claims and arguments.

It's a great way to end an argument in real life, and it can often halt an edit war in an instant. It also can result in you having a greater understanding of the enemy's position, and ideally not viewing them as an "enemy" anymore, but rather just an individual with different assumptions about the world.

Writing for the enemy, is also the process of editing an article from the perspective of a viewpoint opposed to your own. By doing so, you can sharpen and apply your NPOV editing skills.

Note that writing for the enemy does not necessarily mean one believes the opposite of the "enemy" POV. The writer may be unsure what position he wants to take, or simply have no opinion on the matter. What matters is that you try to "walk a mile in their shoes" instead of judging them.

Writing for the enemy contributes to the neutral point of view of Wikipedia. Wikipedians often must learn to sacrifice their own viewpoints to the greater good.

See also