The Reasoned Vegan is a project dedicated to making vegan advocacy more effective, more scientific, and less stereotypical. We promote and encourage skepticism, scientific understanding, and humility in all things vegan.
The reason for this is simple: the facts support a vegan lifestyle. We don’t need to cling to flimsy evidence, poor studies or anecdotes. In fact, doing so is likely deleterious to the cause. The world will continue to inch towards veganism as long as we stick to the facts.
Founders
Scout
Scout Hartley, a.k.a. The Pretend Philosopher, is a passionate and accomplished advocate, and an aspiring scholar in the field of public affairs and administration. He earned his Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from Kean University. His main focus is organizing political coalitions to achieve social goals, which is his ultimate goal for veganism. As his pen-name suggests, he brings a philosophical mindset to his thinking and discourse about veganism. He also explores the different angles and dimensions of advocating for veganism.
He has been and continues to be an active voice in the domain of child welfare and foster care reform, where he has engaged in years of high-level, public policy advocacy. He currently serves on the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect Protection Committee, as a National Youth in Transition Database Reviewer with JBS International, a Young Adult Consultant with The Capacity Building Center for States, and is the New Jersey Chapter Leader with the National Foster Youth Institute (NFYI). He was granted the 2019 NFYI Fostering Persistent Change Award. Before these honors, he has served as a Regional Coordinator for the NFYI Congressional Shadow Day Program in 2018 and 2019, on the National Policy Council, and as the Secretary of the Ocean County Youth Advisory Board.
He also currently serves as the President of the Pi Alpha Alpha Honors Society Kean University Chapter. He has previously served as the Secretary and the Director of Communications with this group. He was granted the 2019 ASPA NJ Student of the Year Award.
These experiences and his expertise have given him a special perspective into the processes of making meaningful, positive change in today’s complicated world. With the help from his partners, Mike Favata and Evan Anderson, and the support of viewers and subscribers like you, he is impassioned to work towards a more vegan world!
Scout’s posts can be found here.
Mike
Michael Favata is a writer and co-founder for the Reasoned Vegan. He graduated with a B.A. in English from Montclair State University in 2014 and lives in New Jersey. He works in an office in New Jersey, where he has worked to create a more eco-friendly workspace by cutting down on paper waste and creating a culture of recycling. He is interested in philosophy, culture, the internet and environmental issues. His hobbies include hiking, meditation, music and chess. He competes actively in chess tournaments and plays rock and classical guitar.
Mike’s posts can be found here.
Evan
Evan Anderson obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2014 and his Master’s degree in Psychology in 2019. He plans to pursue a career in scientific research that furthers the cause of animal advocacy. Previously, Evan has worked as a residential counselor at a group home for adults with developmental disabilities, as an outreach worker for individuals diagnosed with severe mental illness, and as a research assistant evaluating behavioral health systems for state and federal government agencies. He has also dabbled in journalism.
Evan has been vegan since April 2012, and vegetarian since the Fall of 2010. After some number of years, he realized that just being vegan wasn’t enough. We can also work to persuade others to go vegan, and we can always improve our own impact on the world. He views The Reasoned Vegan as a vehicle for effective vegan advocacy that encourages others to go vegan and for vegans themselves to remain self-reflective.
Evan’s posts can be found here.
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