Idealogs:FAQ

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title: Idealogs:FAQ¶
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Hi! Welcome to the FAQ.¶

## What is Idealogs?¶

Idealogs is a wiki. Meaning anyone can edit any article at any time. Pretty neat, if you ask me.¶

## What is its purpose?¶

To define controversial subjects from a neutral point of view. That is, for a given dispute/controversy/question, our job is to summarize--to the best of our ability--the current state of the conversation surrounding it. This involves bringing in and summarizing the major primary sources, sifting those sources down to their major claims, and then weighing those claims against one another. ¶

This is a hard thing to do, but I think there are people out there--like you, maybe!--who have the necessary expertise and are looking for an outlet to share it.¶

Note: our job is not to *answer* the dispute, but define it.¶

## How is this different from Wikipedia?¶

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. For a given subject, an encyclopedia's purpose is to summarize the knowledge we have on it. This model works well for many subjects (proof: the overwhelming success of Wikipedia), but I think it fails for ones that are under heavy dispute. That is, when I read a Wikipedia article on a particularly controversial subject, I always feel like it fails to capture the essence of the dispute¶

That is why I created Idealogs. Idealogs is a new kind of reference work, which I call a *sunesiary*, which is designed specifically for breaking down complex, controversial subjects that Wikipedia fails to treat properly. This is done through collecting and summarizing the major writings, statements, and questions that define the subject. Each writing, statement, and question is represented by an article in the wiki.¶

## How do I start contributing?¶

First, find a primary source on your topic that is well-written and well-argued. Catalog it on the site in an article, and use the space in the article to summarize the primary source's contents. Repeat.¶

Next, distill one or more primary sources into a statement that can be proven. Summarize the major proof(s) of the statement--using logic from your primary sources! You should not be generating new proofs, only explaining the proofs your primary sources are bringing--in a new article.¶

Third, find statements that contradict to form an interesting question. Catalog that question in a new article, and use the space in the article to explain the nature of the question, what the major claims are and how they interplay, and what primary sources one should read to be able to understand the question.

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