Getting to Know Henry Sidgwick

The Wikipedia biography is shorter in length.  The information given is supported by blue hyperlinks which lead to further sources and research.  It is broken into categories: introduction, biography, Eusapia Palladino, Works, Bibliography (broken down into sections “by Sedgwick” and “about Sedgwick”), See Also, References, and External Links. 

While the Wikipedia article was written as a list or collection of facts, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article is written with more narrative components.  Full sentences were used to explain Sidgwick’s life and work, and there were not links constantly interrupting the text.  This article is also much longer than the page on Wikipedia, for the paragraphs use proper grammar and much attention to detail.

The information in the Wikipedia article is very focused on Sedgwick and the events he was personally involved in or affected by.  Overall, there are few details and the descriptions are brief.  The biography includes information about his parents and childhood, his education, adulthood, accolades, his wife, and his burial location.  Then the Eusapia Palladino incident is explained, including how Sidgwick was involved.    

The links used in the Wikipedia page send readers to pages mentioned: the college Sidgwick founded, the associations of which he was a member, definitions of concepts, and even other people’s biographical information.  The links were all to other Wikipedia pages.  The list in the “References” section on Wikipedia includes thirteen sources.  Many of the references are journals.  The list also includes databases and books.  Some of Sedgwick’s work was also listed.  On Wikipedia, a couple of photos are used and captioned with links that lead to other Wikipedia pages.  The Stanford Encyclopedia article does not include images.

Wikipedia has a reputation of sometimes not reporting truthful information.  Authors and editors can make changes to the articles at basically any point in time.  The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is a specialized source that focuses on philosophy and philosophers.  For this reason, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is a more credible source when it comes to researching topics pertaining to philosophy.

If I were looking for information on Henry Sidgwick, I would start with checking Wikipedia.  The information is presented in a quickly accessible way and linked to further reading if so desired.  When it comes to extensive research, I would continue with the Encyclopedia because the page gives more thorough information and lists sources and links that are not to other Wikipedia pages.