[Textbook-l] Problem with NPOV

[Jimmy Wales]

Piotr "Derbeth" Kubowicz wrote:
> What do you think of
> http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Christianity/Living_as_a_Christian and
> http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Imamat_or_Successorship_After_the_Last_Prophet_of_God#Successorship?
> 
> 
> I noticed there are more and more users who contribute to books that
> are made with strongly islamic point of view (we already have some
> texts about islam: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Category:Islam), with
> nicks like "Truebeliever", "Believer" etc. I'm afraid that we might
> attract some zealots who see us as a good place to develop
> propaganda. Generally, I think that we should think how we should
> treat books about religious topics.

1. NPOV is crucial.  Textbooks are not advocacy.  They are to instruct 
and inform, not brainwash and convert (in either direction!).

2. Wikibooks is for _textbooks_, not any random sort of nonfiction book. 
  One of the tests we should use is: "Does this book serve the specific 
textbok needs of any actual class offered at any actual accredited 
institution?"  That will be a good way to cut out a lot of nonsense at 
the start.

--Jimbo