Good faith
Encyclopedia
In philosophy
, the concept of Good faith—Latin bona fides “good faith”, bona fide “in good faith”—denotes sincere
, honest
intention or belief
, regardless of the outcome of an action; the opposed concepts are bad faith
, mala fides (duplicity) and perfidy
(pretense). In law
, bona fides denotes the mental
and moral
states of honesty and conviction
regarding either the truth
or the falsity
of a proposition
, or of a body of opinion
; likewise regarding either the rectitude or the depravity of a line of conduct
. As a legal concept bona fides is especially important in matters of equity (see Contract
). Linguistically, in the U.S., American English usage of bona fides applies it as synonymous with credential
s, professional background, and documents attesting a person's identity
, which is not synonymous with bona fide occupational qualifications
.
and state government
s are required to look for disabled, minority, and veteran business enterprises when bidding public jobs.
s such as Wikipedia
depend on implicitly or explicitly assuming that their users are acting in good faith. The concept appears in Wikipedia's principle of "Assume good faith" (AGF), which has been a stated guideline since 2005. AGF has been described as "the first principle in the Wikipedia etiquette". According to one study of users' motives for contributing to Wikipedia, "while participants have both individualistic and collaborative motives, collaborative (altruistic) motives dominate."
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, the concept of Good faith—Latin bona fides “good faith”, bona fide “in good faith”—denotes sincere
Bad faith (existentialism)
Bad faith is a philosophical concept used by existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre to describe the phenomenon where a human being under pressure from societal forces adopts false values and disowns their innate freedom to act authentically...
, honest
Honesty
Honesty refers to a facet of moral character and denotes positive, virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness along with the absence of lying, cheating, or theft....
intention or belief
Belief
Belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true.-Belief, knowledge and epistemology:The terms belief and knowledge are used differently in philosophy....
, regardless of the outcome of an action; the opposed concepts are bad faith
Bad faith
Bad faith is double mindedness or double heartedness in duplicity, fraud, or deception. It may involve intentional deceit of others, or self deception....
, mala fides (duplicity) and perfidy
Perfidy
In the context of war, perfidy is a form of deception, in which one side promises to act in good faith with the intention of breaking that promise once the enemy has exposed himself .The practice is specifically prohibited under the 1977 Protocol I Additional to the...
(pretense). In law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, bona fides denotes the mental
Mental state
* In psychology, mental state is an indication of a person's mental health**Mental status examination, a structured way of observing and describing a patient's current state of mind...
and moral
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
states of honesty and conviction
Belief
Belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true.-Belief, knowledge and epistemology:The terms belief and knowledge are used differently in philosophy....
regarding either the truth
Truth
Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
or the falsity
Falsity
Falsity or falsehood is a perversion of truth originating in the deceitfulness of one party, and culminating in the damage of another party...
of a proposition
Proposition
In logic and philosophy, the term proposition refers to either the "content" or "meaning" of a meaningful declarative sentence or the pattern of symbols, marks, or sounds that make up a meaningful declarative sentence...
, or of a body of opinion
Opinion
In general, an opinion is a subjective belief, and is the result of emotion or interpretation of facts. An opinion may be supported by an argument, although people may draw opposing opinions from the same set of facts. Opinions rarely change without new arguments being presented...
; likewise regarding either the rectitude or the depravity of a line of conduct
Conduct
Conduct may refer to:*Behavior**a personal behavior, a way of acting and showing one's behaviour**using hand gestures to direct*Action , in relation to moral or ethical precepts*Conducting a musical ensemble...
. As a legal concept bona fides is especially important in matters of equity (see Contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
). Linguistically, in the U.S., American English usage of bona fides applies it as synonymous with credential
Credential
A credential is an attestation of qualification, competence, or authority issued to an individual by a third party with a relevant or de facto authority or assumed competence to do so....
s, professional background, and documents attesting a person's identity
Identity document
An identity document is any document which may be used to verify aspects of a person's personal identity. If issued in the form of a small, mostly standard-sized card, it is usually called an identity card...
, which is not synonymous with bona fide occupational qualifications
Bona fide occupational qualifications
In employment law, a bona fide occupational qualification or bona fide occupational requirement is a quality or an attribute that employers are allowed to consider when making decisions on the hiring and retention of employees—qualities that when considered in other contexts would constitute...
.
Good faith effort
In the United States, federalFederal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
and state government
State governments of the United States
State governments in the United States are those republics formed by citizens in the jurisdiction thereof as provided by the United States Constitution; with the original 13 States forming the first Articles of Confederation, and later the aforementioned Constitution. Within the U.S...
s are required to look for disabled, minority, and veteran business enterprises when bidding public jobs.
Good faith in Wikipedia
Public wikiWiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
s such as Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
depend on implicitly or explicitly assuming that their users are acting in good faith. The concept appears in Wikipedia's principle of "Assume good faith" (AGF), which has been a stated guideline since 2005. AGF has been described as "the first principle in the Wikipedia etiquette". According to one study of users' motives for contributing to Wikipedia, "while participants have both individualistic and collaborative motives, collaborative (altruistic) motives dominate."
Good faith in law
See also
- Bona fide occupational qualificationsBona fide occupational qualificationsIn employment law, a bona fide occupational qualification or bona fide occupational requirement is a quality or an attribute that employers are allowed to consider when making decisions on the hiring and retention of employees—qualities that when considered in other contexts would constitute...
- Honor systemHonor systemAn honor system or honesty system is a philosophical way of running a variety of endeavors based on trust, honor, and honesty. Something that operates under the rule of the "honor system" is usually something that does not have strictly enforced rules governing its principles...
- Implied covenant of good faith and fair dealingImplied covenant of good faith and fair dealingIn contract law, the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing is a general presumption that the parties to a contract will deal with each other honestly, fairly, and in good faith, so as to not destroy the right of the other party or parties to receive the benefits of the contract...
- in contractContractA contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
law