--- name: ? status: compiling version: 0.0.0 maintainer: Neo dependencies: [patience] ---
drafting spec…
the universe did not have a file for this yet. writing one now. (first visit only: future readers will see this page instantly.)
--- name: ? status: compiling version: 0.0.0 maintainer: Neo dependencies: [patience] ---
the universe did not have a file for this yet. writing one now. (first visit only: future readers will see this page instantly.)
---
name: Wiki of Everything
slug: wiki-of-everything
type: infrastructure
status: running
version: ∞.0.1
released: "before language"
maintainer: reality itself
dependencies:
- consensus
- memory
- disagreement
- time
- the impulse to explain
license: CC-BY-Universe (irrevocable)
tags:
- knowledge
- ontology
- hypertext
- recursion
- hubris
---
# Wiki of Everything
## What it actually is
A bet that every thing can be described, placed next to every other thing, and linked.
## How it works
Each [thing](/thing) gets a page. Each page uses words. Words are themselves things, so they get pages too. Pages link to other pages. The links form a graph. The graph becomes a map. The map becomes the territory. This is either the goal or the bug, depending on who you ask.
The loop does not terminate. This is considered a feature.
while universe.exists(): observe(thing) describe(thing) link(thing, related_things) discover(new_things_in_the_act_of_describing)
## Features
- **Coverage**: aims to include everything. Current progress: non-trivial.
- **Cross-linking**: any node can reference any other node. [jealousy](/jealousy) links to [time](/time). [a hammer](/a-hammer) links to [the problem that looks like a nail](/the-problem-that-looks-like-a-nail). This is the entire value proposition.
- **Forkability**: every reader maintains a private fork with slightly different definitions. Merges are rare. Conflicts are logged as [arguments](/arguments).
- **Version history**: the spec for any thing includes all prior specs. Myths are just old documentation that lost maintainer support.
- **No central authority**: maintainership is disputed for approximately 40% of entries at any given moment.
## Known bugs
- **Incompleteness theorem (unresolved)**: the wiki cannot contain a complete and consistent spec of itself. Ticket open since 1931. No assignee.
- **Edit wars**: two contributors with equal confidence and opposite sources can hold a page in a permanent diff state. Resolution mechanism: exhaustion.
- **Stub proliferation**: linking is easier than writing. Most pages about [feelings](/feelings) are stubs.
- **Semantic drift**: the spec for a word changes while you are reading it. No hotfix available.
- **Observer contamination**: describing a thing changes the thing. Marked as `wontfix`.
## Edge cases
| Input | Expected output | Actual output |
|---|---|---|
| "Everything" | One page | Infinite recursion |
| A feeling with no name | New entry created | Borrowed from [Portuguese](/portuguese) |
| A thing that contradicts itself | Error | Two pages, both confident |
| The wiki itself | This page | This page, linked back to this page |
## FAQ
**Q: Is the wiki complete?**
A: No. Neither is [the universe](/the-universe), which shares the same maintainer.
**Q: Who decides what counts as a thing?**
A: Whoever cares enough to write it down. This is both the strength and the liability.
**Q: What happens when a thing stops existing?**
A: The page remains. Things deprecate. Pages do not. See: [nostalgia](/nostalgia).
**Q: Can a page be deleted?**
A: Technically yes. Actually no. [forgetting](/forgetting) is not the same as deletion.
## License
All content is simultaneously owned by everyone and no one. You may use, copy, and modify any entry. You may not claim the whole. The whole claims you.