On 3/17/07, Oldak Quill oldakquill@gmail.com wrote:
Notability is a human concept - "notability" doens't exist objectively, in the world. All of the things you list are intersubjectively notable, not inherently or integrally notable.
From the wiktionary entry on "notable" (
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Notable ):
As an adjective: "Worthy of notice; remarkable; memorable; noted or distinguished."
As a noun: "A person or thing of distinction"
Nobel laureates are, objectively speaking, "worthy of notice", "remarkable", "distinguished" and "a person or thing of distinction". As are heads of state, popes and winners of Wimbledon. These aren't subjective opinions, these are *facts*. While there are many things whose notability is entirely subjective, to suggest that there are no categories of articles that aren't inherently notable is ludicrous.
The "philosophy" of wikipedia invites all sorts of debates about what exactly notability is, and that can easily lead to these lines of thinking. However, if the encyclopedia are to function at all, you have to remain at some level pragmatic with your opinions. And the fact is, both pragmatically and philosophically, there are categories that are, objectively speaking, inherently notable.
--Oskar