Several editors do object to them as being unnecessary, or clutter, but if they are kept very brief, and do not grow out of control, I think it is a reasonable compromise to keep them. They also assist in navigation, allowing users to quickly see if this is the policy they are looking for. They allow new users to take a small taste of a new dish first, before attempting to devour the whole portion. The reason for nutshells is to help new users digest WP policy.
I think your supporting argument that the nutshell gives the impression that it conveys the full substance of the policy or guideline is completely baseless, as this would be an absurd conclusion for a new user to draw. The nutshell argument you make is not new, and the widespread use of nutshells suggests that it is not a widely held consensus. When requesting discussion, you should lead by example. Other than satisfying some slavish desire for a false sense of consistency, what value is there in a nutshell on this specific page? Rossami (talk) 04:06, 19 August 2008 (UTC) For the record, I did check for a discussion thread on the talk page, and found none, before adding an attempted compromise nutshell. There may be marginal value to a nutshell on other pages which have ambiguous titles or poorly written opening sections but there is zero value to the nutshell on this particular page. Nutshells are also completely and utterly redundant to either a) a well-written, active-voice page title and/or b) a well-written and succinct introductory paragraph. They have created dangerous false impressions among our new users and pointless confusion and wiki-lawyering. They give the false impression to casual readers that by reading only the nutshell, they understand all the nuance and subtlety that the rest of the page explains. Nutshells in general are more harmful than helpful for our readers. It was promptly added yet again, still without any discussion or explanation. It was reverted again with an explicit request to discuss on Talk before readding it. So what part of Bold, Revert, Discuss is unclear here? This page started without a nutshell.