User:Pinkbabybruin/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
I am evaluating the page on John Locke.

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
I chose this article to evaluate because I have extensively studied John Locke's works in my undergraduate education, though I know little about his life and contextual background. I have always been inspired by his notion of tabula rasa and am in general curious about how his ideas came to fruition. He has been an influential philosopher since his time, affecting the establishment of various democratic governments and bringing about liberal ideologies. The article itself appears to be extremely detailed and well-informed on his life, works, and career, tying together these different facets of his life to create a comprehensive story.

Evaluate the article
Lead Section: The lead section is clear, concise, and directly to the point. It briefly discusses John Locke's career and both those he has influenced and how he has influenced them. It also brings up a couple of his most important theories. Though the lead does not outline the other sections of the article, it is clear what will be discussed throughout the rest of the page.

Content: Because the philosopher lived in the 17th century, all information is dated appropriately. However, in describing his life story and influences, the content is highly relevant and informational, leaving little gaps or misunderstandings. As a white, European philosopher, the page does not directly speak to any underrepresented individuals or groups but does go over slavery and child labor, and religious tolerance.

Tone and Balance: The article is very neutral. The tone is objective and free of bias, so when reading the article, it is clear that the page is supposed to be informative and factual. There are no underrepresented viewpoints nor are there any controversial or discriminative opinions written in the article.

Sources and References: The article has an extensive list of citations, spanning from academic writings to primary sources to articles. The writing also features citation when it is necessary, often citing two or three pages for a singular line of writing. The sources are not only written in the English language, but also include German and Dutch writings on the topic. As of me writing this, there were no sources that could be viewed as not reputable; every source was from a peer-reviewed journal or article that is trustworthy. Additionally, the links tested do work.

Organization and Writing Quality: The article, though quite long, is written in everyday language, making it fairly easy to read. However, given the content of John Locke's works, there are some difficult or abstract details that may not be as easy to comprehend. There are no errors as far as I could tell, and I appreciated the organization of the page as it came across as telling a linear story.

Images and Media: Given the time period John Locke existed in, there are very few images that could have been inputted into the article. However, there are a couple of portraits of the philosopher as well as a statue of him and a few other images relevant to his writings. The captions are descriptive albeit brief, allowing a quick understanding of what the image entails. They are located in relevant sections and thereby enhance the reading experience.

Talk Page Discussion: Though there are few discussions occurring on the talk page, there are certainly a few changes proposed to ensure that there are no misunderstandings. Among them are a proposal to change Locke's characterization as a "father of liberalism" and to expand on his potential homosexuality. The lack of discussions means there are no meaningful talks on the page, making it difficult to get input from anyone. However, this may be a result of the figure's living in the past and lack of new scholarship to add to the page. It has been rated as C-class and is of interest to many WikiProjects.

Overall Impressions: I think the article is quite well-written and informative. It is highly detailed and provides a comprehensive description of John Locke, and is certainly a good starting point for any research. The article is tough to tackle in that it is very long and holds many details that may be irrelevant to most people. In addition, it does not incorporate aspects of identity and analysis in a modern-day context—the example being that there are speculations of homosexuality but not much detailed information. I would say the article is well-developed and fairly complete.