Cognitive Distortions
Quillette |Shuichi Tezuka
Shuichi Tezuka (pseudonym), documents a trend (since spring 2020) in Wikipedia articles “related to human intelligence…to become steadily more divorced from its source material.” The author provides numerous examples of changes that flout scientific research in order to promulgate a certain narrative, discredit and/or disappear research. “The recent history of articles related to human intelligence shows what happens when the ideas presented in a field’s academic literature are incompatible with what leftists see as acceptable… The result is for Wikipedia to assume that a scientific field has been infiltrated by racism.”
The implications go beyond specific articles, argues Tezuka. “Whenever a scientific concept—or the source literature supporting a scientific concept—is rejected as incompatible with racial justice, this judgment will inevitably affect a broadening range of ideas over time.”
And why should anyone care about Wikipedia? Tazuka explains, “Most academics do not openly admit to being influenced by Wikipedia, but the site’s influence on academia appears to be substantial.”
Tuzka also explains what the long-term implications will be: “The original purpose of Wikipedia was to reflect the current understanding of the topics that it covers, not to exert an influence over fields to enact social change… While Wikipedia may ultimately prove successful at undermining research about topics related to human intelligence, it also may undermine its own reputation in the process. Formerly trusted institutions have begun to lose society’s trust…Wikipedia will not necessarily be immune to this effect.”
