[Numpy-discussion] Numpy governance update

[Alan G Isaac]

On 2/16/2012 7:22 PM, Matthew Brett wrote:
> This has not been an encouraging episode in striving for consensus.

I disagree.
Failure to reach consensus does not imply lack of striving.

I see parallels with a recent hiring decision process
I observed.  There were fundamentally different
views of how to rank the top candidates.  Because those
involved value consensus, these views were
extensively aired and discussed. *That* is where the
commitment to consensus showed.  It proved not possible
to reach a consensus on the candidate choice, so the
decision of the search committee carried the day. (Even
there, there was not consensus.)  In the end,
there is work to be done, and getting the work done
is something *everyone* agrees trumps other disagreements.

Striving for consensus does not mean that a minority
automatically gets veto rights.

Cheers,
Alan