Wikipedia:Subjects vs. terms
 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
Is it a subject or a term? Generally, Wikipedia states that articles are about subjects rather than terms, but then acknowledges that some articles are about terms. In reality this is a false dichotomy. This essay provides a structural analysis and presentation. A thorough understanding can assist in solving some quandaries and providing clearer guidance. For clarity, we're using the terms "subject" with the meaning of being a topic, and use the terms interchangeably.
What is innately a subject?
[edit]Many things are innately a subject (identified by a term or title), others are innately a term, and in between is a blend of the two, such as an apparent subject which is merely a creation by a term.
Probably the best test of what is most innately a subject is"
- Would it be regarded as a distinct subject if there were no term for it?"
- Would it be useful to the vast majority of neutral relevant people to consider it to be a subject?
- Would such people find it useful for thought, communication and study purposes to define it as a subject and give it a name? For example, it would be useful for these purposes to group the large white furry land animals together and give them a name if the subject "Polar Bear" did not already exist.
Terms as potential subjects
[edit]Let's start with one-word terms. Every word can be considered to be a term, but the vast majority of them are not even in the running to be considered to be defining a topic.