Topical Categories (wip)

Migrated from Word – to be cleaned up

Assigning Topical Categories

• Topical Categories are the hierarchically structured categories assigned to briefings.
• They are prominent in the Topics navigation links on the left sidebar of the home page and all listing pages (the navigation block is stacked vertically on mobile devices), as well as the navigation “breadcrumbs” that appear at the top of listing pages and briefing pages.
• The available categories will change over time as new briefings are added..
• A briefing can be assigned to more than one category, but for each category tree, it should only be assigned to the lowest level that applies.
• The top-level categories are:
  • Core Briefings. Core briefings are foundational to understanding or practicing veganism. They often serve as entry points for those beginning to explore the topic.
  • Objections examine common criticisms, questions, or challenges raised about veganism. Each briefing carefully analyzes the objection and presents well-supported responses grounded in evidence and reasoning..
  • Ethics and Philosophy explores the moral reasoning and philosophical ideas that relate to how humans treat animals. These briefings discuss ethical frameworks, moral principles, and philosophical arguments that help readers think more deeply about issues of harm, responsibility, and justice.
  • Animals and Exploitation describes how animals are used within various human industries and practices and examines the conditions they experience. This category also includes information about animal sentience and the scientific understanding of animals’ capacity to feel, perceive, and experience their environment, helping readers better understand the moral significance of animal use.
  • Environment examines the environmental impacts associated with animal agriculture and related practices. Topics may include climate change, land use, biodiversity loss, water pollution, and resource efficiency, drawing on scientific research to explain these connections.
  • Human Health explores the health implications of dietary patterns and food systems. These briefings examine scientific evidence related to plant-based diets, disease risk, nutrition, and public health considerations.
  • Advocacy focuses on communication strategies and practical considerations for discussing veganism and animal ethics with others. These briefings provide guidance, framing ideas, and tools that can help make conversations more thoughtful, constructive, and effective.
• Assignment to Multiple Categories
  • Most Objections briefings are assigned only to the Objections top-level category and use the objection itself as the quoted title. For example: “Vegans Kill More Because of Crop Deaths.”
  • Some briefings address objections while also logically belonging to another topical area of the knowledge-base hierarchy. In those cases, the briefing may be assigned to more than one category, and a quoted title is not used.
    • Examples:
      • The briefing titled “Vitamin B12 Information for Vegans” is assigned to both Objections and Human Health > Nutrients of Concern. The related objection that a vegan diet is not natural because it requires supplementation is addressed in the Counterclaims section of the briefing.
      • The briefing titled “Plant Protein: Abundant, Complete, and Healthier” is assigned to the Objections category because it addresses several objections related to protein. It is also assigned to Human Health > Nutrients of Concern. Creating separate briefings for these closely related issues would be largely redundant and potentially confusing.