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Chesterton's fence refers to a principle that before changing something, you should first understand why it is the way it is. > Chesterton’s Fence is a heurist
by phalangion 5y ago
Chesterton's fence refers to a principle that before changing something, you should first understand why it is the way it is.
> Chesterton’s Fence is a heuristic inspired by a quote from the writer and polymath G. K. Chesterton’s 1929 book, The Thing. It’s best known as being one of John F. Kennedy’s favored sayings, as well as a principle Wikipedia encourages its editors to follow. In the book, Chesterton describes the classic case of the reformer who notices something, such as a fence, and fails to see the reason for its existence. However, before they decide to remove it, they must figure out why it exists in the first place. If they do not do this, they are likely to do more harm than good with its removal. In its most concise version, Chesterton’s Fence states the following:
Do not remove a fence until you know why it was put up in the first place.
[0] https://fs.blog/chestertons-fence/ https://fs.blog/chestertons-fence/