Talk:Selfishness

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So whats the quote limit for pages like this one?(StarWarsFanBoy 23:39, 11 February 2010 (UTC))

There is none. Quote limits are a function of copyright concerns. The law says that the author of a particular work (a book, a film, an album) can sue someone who copies too much of the work. We limit quotes taken from those kinds of works to avoid running afoul of the law. However, with a theme page like this one, where the quotes come from many different people, that problem does not arise. Also, this page has a large number of quotes from a single work (the Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers), but this is permissible because the copyright on that work has expired, meaning that no one has the right to sue based on the copying of that work. Of course, the quotes still have to be individually verifiable, and they must be quoteworthy (if someone just said "selfishness is bad", there'd be nothing worth quoting). Cheers! BD2412 T 04:11, 12 February 2010 (UTC)

Categories

Currently, selfishness is listed under Category:Vices.  I am not sure how appropriate it is for us to list it as such.  Sure, some would describe it as a vice, but not all.  Objectivists, for example, would go so far as to describe it as a virtue.  Then you have psychological egoists like me, who say it's neither a vice nor a virtue, but an inescapable element of the human condition (i.e., it is impossible for a human to commit a truly selfless act).  Regardless of whether we put it in Category:Vices or Category:Virtues, it seems we are promoting a subjective POV, which obviously ought to be avoided on Wiki projects.  allixpeeke (talk) 08:08, 6 May 2015 (UTC)

It is categorized as such on Wikipedia (where it is also in Category:Self, Category:Narcissism, Category:Morality, and Category:Philosophy of life, none of which are presently part of our category tree). BD2412 T 15:24, 6 May 2015 (UTC)

Then the question can be expanded to the appropriateness of it being thus categorised on Wikipedia, too.  allixpeeke (talk) 17:02, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

I have no opposition to discussing that. I do think, however, that selfishness is traditionally considered a vice in many religions and philosophies. I have created and added Category:Self to the page. BD2412 T 17:38, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

Ooo, good addition.  allixpeeke (talk) 04:28, 22 July 2016 (UTC)

Self-interest redirects to Selfishness

There's a quote out there tthat maintains that society is the purely the product of self-interest, that self-interest is what led humans to create society.  On 17 July 2016, I uploaded this quote.  On 20 July 2016, Ningauble removed this quote, claiming that this quote was "off topic."

What do you, the Wikiquote community, say?  Is this quote about the social influence of self-interest "off topic," even though self-interest redirects here?  And, if so, does that mean that self-interest should get its own article, distinct from this one?

You decide, Wikiquote community.  You decide.

allixpeeke (talk) 04:28, 22 July 2016 (UTC)