Larry Sanger

Larry Sanger is an American philosopher, internet entrepreneur, and co-founder of Wikipedia. He studied philosophy at Reed College and earned a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. In 2001, he helped create Wikipedia. Sanger coined Wikipedia's name, and drafted many of its early standards, including its then fundamental principle of "Neutral point of view". Sanger has contributed to numerous encyclopedic endeavors since, culminating in his current work on the decentralized Encyclosphere, searchable at Encyclosearch. As President of the Knowledge Standards Foundation, Sanger presides over an effort to develop standards and tools to knit together a new kind of encyclopedia with entries sourced and vetted from across the Web.

Archives

Larry Sanger on Wikipedia, AI, and Preserving Human Knowledge

Larry Sanger
April 23, 2025
On this episode of ID The Future, hosts Andrew McDiarmid and Nathan Jacobson continue their conversation with Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger. In this segment, Sanger explains how his philosophy to decentralize the world's knowledge plays into science and truth-seeking in the age of AI. He talks about the shortcomings of large language models and why humans are irreplaceable and essential to increasing our understanding of the world. Sanger also discusses the challenges that online encyclopedias like Wikipedia have faced in accurately and fairly reflecting controversial or important topics. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Check out Part 1 in a separate episode!

Skeptic to Believer: Wikipedia Co-Founder Larry Sanger’s Intellectual Journey

Larry Sanger
April 21, 2025
On this ID The Future, Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger joins hosts Andrew McDiarmid and Nathan Jacobson to delve into his personal evolution from longtime skeptical philosopher to belief in God. After falling out of faith in his teens, Sanger became a committed skeptic and agnostic, adhering to the principle of methodological skepticism for decades as he evaluated traditional arguments for the existence of God and found them wanting. And while Sanger was unconvinced by the claims of "new atheists" like Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett, he found himself drawn to the arguments of intelligent design scientists like Stephen Meyer, Michael Behe, and William Dembski. In this first half of a conversation, Sanger recounts his fascinating intellectual journey while unpacking the intelligent design arguments he found most convincing along his journey. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview. Look for Part 2 in a separate episode.