JFA Wiki:About
General Information
The Justice For Animals Wiki covers topics related to animal rights and veganism and presents them in a manner useful for advocacy and outreach. We already offer useful content, but we are just getting started.
We use the same software platform as Wikipedia, but unlike Wikipedia, all articles are written in the context of animal rights and veganism, with an emphasis on information that is useful for advocacy and for getting started with veganism.
Like Wikipedia, we place importance on supplying credible sources for factual statements that are not general knowledge.
And also like Wikipedia, users can write new content and edit existing content. See Writing and Editing for the JFA Wiki.
Vision
Now that we have converted existing content to this wiki platform, we are rapidly putting in place the procedural, legal, and funding framework to bring on new authors to complete the foundational articles as shown on our vision for a future home page. This will allow us to more fully realize our vision of being not only collaborative, but encyclopedic as well. After that, we will continue to grow by refining existing content and adding articles on more specialized topics.
About Our Content
In addition to presenting information directly pertinent to animal rights, we also present the environmental, nutritional, and human social justice aspects of veganism in hopes of providing additional incentive for people to become vegan. But we acknowledge that the case for animal rights and veganism does not depend on these considerations beyond showing that a vegan diet is adequate for good health. And just to be clear, we do not advocate for animal welfare measures but instead for an end to the exploitation of non-human animals.
The information on this site is usefully organized, evidence-based, and non-hyperbolic.
Usefully organized
The site is organized into the kinds of information we use in advocacy—basic information, objections to veganism, facts to back up assertions, and summaries of various kinds. This way of organizing also engenders discovery and learning.
The further division of information in each section into the topics of animals, ethics, earth, health, and humanity provides a uniform structure to help you get to the information in which you are interested. Written definitions of these categories are forthcoming.
Evidence based
When we present a piece of information as fact, that information should be based on credible supporting evidence, not conjecture or unsubstantiated claims. We provide citations or links to credible sources for factual statements that are not general knowledge. We minimize using animal rights organizations for sources in cases where believability would be an issue to a non-vegan audience but not because the information is inaccurate.
Non-hyperbolic
Hyperbole and sensationalism are not welcome here. The case for animal rights and veganism is strong, and the objections are weak. There is no need to exaggerate.
In talking about the cruelties inflicted on animals, presenting the reality of what's happening may seem to be an exaggeration when it is not. It's especially important that when we make claims that may seem hyperbolic but in fact are not, that we are able to back up those claims with supporting evidence.
Listings
The following listings show the kinds of information available on this site:
- All Articles lists all articles in the main namespace, organized by type of article.
- Beginner articles provide a good starting point for those new to veganism.
- Replies articles provide reasoned responses to common objections, concerns, and questions regarding animal rights and veganism, organized as talking points.
- Summaries provide concise information on a variety of topics, with emphasis on the aspects of the topic that relate to animal rights and veganism. Summaries will be what makes this site encyclopedic. We are just getting started with summaries.
- Fact Sheets provide support for a variety of topics commonly used in advocating for veganism and animal rights.
- Tables contain tabular information that can be included in other pages.
- Notes are for tidbits and lists of information that don't qualify to be an article.
- Archives hold information from other sources that are included in this site for reference purposes.
- Blog Posts are mostly about the wiki site itself.
- Drafts are work-in-process articles not ready for publication. They are not in the main namespace and not searched by default.
How We Differ
For an example of how we differ from Wikipedia and other wikis, consider our article on chickens compared to Wikipedia's. Wikipedia provides general information that is well worth the read. But instead of trying to duplicate the information on Wikipedia, our article provides information on the aspects of chickens that is useful for advocacy. This includes summarized information on chicken sentience and cognition, the way we harm chickens, humane labels and certifications, nutritional information on chicken meat and eggs, and environmental harms associated with chicken production. As the site grows, it's likely that future articles will provide more detailed information in each of these areas.
Think of the articles here as having appended to the title "(in the context of animal rights and veganism, especially for advocacy)." So the article Chickens could be thought of as "Chickens (in the context of animal rights and veganism, especially for advocacy)."
Contact
We can be reached by sending an email to your.friends@justiceforanimals.org.
