Talk:Sheldon Cooper/Archive 1

New TBBT character articles

I'm in the midst of creating the new articles for the main TBBT characters, as was discussed briefly on the "List of TBBT characters" talk page previously. I have a limited time to work with at the moment, and after my edits there are still a lot of cite errors on the new articles due to cites not being complete (as they were simply copied from the original article). I will continue to fix these issues later today into tomorrow, but in the meantime welcome all other users to assist in the transition.

The original article, List of characters in The Big Bang Theory, can either be merged into The Big Bang Theory, or better yet, changed to incorporate the new articles (i.e., the full descriptions are removed in favor of shorter descriptions, and the list of secondary/tertiary characters remains. I recommend the latter, which I will do upon return to editing tomorrow. Thanks. — ^{`</sup>CRAZY`(lN)`SANE<sup>`} 17:36, 14 March 2009 (UTC)

Voice of Reason

I think that if the first paragraph is to list basic traits then surely Sheldons neuroses are more of a sensible way to overview the chracter than calling him the "voice of reason"? --79.76.192.239 (talk) 22:15, 2 April 2009 (UTC)

Comedy?

I've never seen the show, but if it is a comedy don't you think that should be mentioned here? Steve Dufour (talk) 12:11, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

Added. Cirt (talk) 12:13, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

Thanks.Steve Dufour (talk) 02:03, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

You're welcome. Cirt (talk) 03:45, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

Oven

I think the part on the oven is incorrect. He didn't create a robotic arm from it, but turned it into a high powered furnace in order to make ceramic insulators for the robotic arm. His sister lost her eyebrows when she tried to use it later. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.206.112.78 (talk) 04:06, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Jim Parsons Committee?

Should that blurb about some committee trying to get him nominated for an emmy be on the actors page and NOT the character page? (Midousan (talk) 04:28, 15 May 2009 (UTC))

Seems relevant for both actually. Cirt (talk) 04:44, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Bronx Science high school reference

The first two graduates of Bronx high school of science that received a nobel prize were named Leon Cooper and Sheldon Glashow. I think this should be mentioned somewhere either in this article or the Bronx article. Bronx_High_School_of_Science#Notable_alumni_and_former_students —Preceding unsigned comment added by 139.179.198.27 (talk) 17:09, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Mom lives in Houston?

At the season opener, when his friends were heading to his home, I noticed the Williams Tower in the background of the car. As I am able to figure, they were heading towards WEST Houston as they were on Westheimer Road. Far as I can tell, his mom's residence is somewhere near the Houston Energy Corridor. Who knew! --Hourick (talk) 20:49, 1 October 2009 (UTC)

Sheldon's asexuality

In the opening scene of the 1st episode of Season 01 Sheldon and Leonard go to a sperm bank to "masturbate for money". In fact Leonard calls Sheldon a "semi-pro" in masturbation. How does this fit with Sheldon's alleged asexuality. Do asexuals masturbate? Doesn't masturbation require sexual desire that would eliminate asexuality? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nearxos (talk • contribs) 13:14, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

Who knows what he fantasized about? It could have been Magic cards. :/--198.103.152.52 (talk) 20:13, 4 December 2009 (UTC)

May i note that just because a person does that, that doesn't exclude them from being an asexual. That episode that Nearxos is referring to is the pilot and from the pilot, characthers are tweaked. In the original script for the pilot, there was alot more insinuation i gather. In the second series, there is an episode where Penny asks Leonard and the other 2 "I know it's none of my business, but... what's sheldon's *deal*? Is it girls? Guys? Sock puppets?" and the reply was "We've been operating under the assumption that sheldon has no deal."". Anyway where would sheldon get the time to do that. Phil Nolte (talk) 19:21, 7 January 2010 (UTC)

The Wikipedia article on asexuality discusses this. ImperialismGo (talk) 04:38, 8 January 2010 (UTC)

Restructuring the article: new sections

The articles of the main characters, Leonard Hofstadter, Sheldon Cooper, Penny (The Big Bang Theory), Howard Wolowitz, and Rajesh Koothrappali, are growing in size but without a proper structure. I propose creating standard sections in which to put information: Personality, Family, Work, and Relationships. I believe the show centers mostly around these topics, so the information would fit nicely. I'm not saying these are the only sections that will ever be used, but they are a good start; perhaps they will need to be modified in the future. Also, let's keep the content complete but encyclopedic; there is no need for an indiscriminate collection of information. 189.235.173.9 (talk) 15:38, 7 January 2010 (UTC)

Referencing episodes

I suggest using this format to reference the episodes

<ref name="S01E01">{{Cite episode
|title=Pilot
|episodelink=List of The Big Bang Theory episodes#ep1
|series=The Big Bang Theory
|serieslink=The Big Bang Theory
|airdate=September 24, 2007
|season=1
|number=1}}</ref>

as suggested in Template:Cite episode.

The "episodelink" field includes the link to the appropriate episode in this way List of The Big Bang Theory episodes#ep1. The number in "#ep1" refers to the continuous episode number in the series, not within a season. For example, The Griffin Equivalence is episode 4 of season 2, but it is referenced as List of The Big Bang Theory episodes#ep21.

The citation in the actual article may very well be in "horizontal" format.

<ref name="S01E01">{{Cite episode|title=Pilot|episodelink=... etc.

This has already been implemented in List of characters in The Big Bang Theory. 189.235.173.9 (talk) 15:38, 7 January 2010 (UTC)

Indiscriminate collection of information is not okay

The user with IP 68.227.32.148 has been changing the article Sheldon Cooper to a state that includes a lot of the text from revisions around December 2009 and before.

The article at that time reads like a personal point of view, which includes weasel words, original research, indiscriminate collection of information, etc. Some of those traits survive in the present article:

• "Sheldon has an overly extensive general knowledge, such as shown by his comments regarding the introduction of the fork into Thailand. Despite his intelligence, Sheldon is usually inept in most social interactions." Why do we need to mention the one-time description of Thailand forks? It is enough to say that he has a "generally extensive knowledge but is inept in most social interactions". There is no need to bring every specific remark he has made through the show, and he has made several!
• "Sheldon occasionally uses slang but essentially fails, and his new catchphrase is "Bazinga!". He isn't entirely sure how to hug someone." What is the usefulness of this if we already mention that Sheldon is inept in social interactions.
• "Sheldon also has childish qualities. For example, he must get his way, such as in naming the Caltech Physics Bowl team or choosing the way to go to San Francisco for a conference where he seeks Nobel laureate George Smoot's approval, and he needs his mother (or Penny) to care for him when he is sick, which involves singing "Soft Kitty" and rubbing Vicks on his chest." Why, again, do we need all the details?
• "He cannot stand to be interrupted, concede when he doesn't know something, lie, or hear a person bicker or people fight, crinkling his lips with insane frustration when any of these happen.[11][12][13]" Why do we care about him "crinkling his lips"? Are we going to reference every episode he does this? I don't think so.
• "He also used to idolize fictional prodigy Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation for qualities of the character he found similar to himself, but Wil Wheaton's surprise cancellation of an appearance at a Jackson, Mississippi Trek convention in 1995 caused Sheldon to swear vengeance against Wil in the form of a customizable card game tournament.[15]" Again, essentially describing the plot of only one episode.
• "He places "strikes" on someone if that person violates his imposed conditions.[19]" Why do we care about something that happened in one episode only. In contrast, some of the traits that are described in Sheldon Cooper#Characteristics are prevalent throughout the show, such as the "sitting spot".
• "Like Leonard, Sheldon keeps a whiteboard in the living room for scientific theories. It usually contains virtual particles in quantum mechanics or series of Riemann zeta functions." What? What is the relevance of this, if we have already mentioned that the character is a genius?
• "Penny once asked what is Sheldon's "deal", meaning his sexual orientation. Leonard responded that "we've been operating under the assumption that he has no deal". Howard hypothesizes that he reproduces through mitosis, while Leonard postulates he will someday emerge from a cocoon and sprout wings[16]." No need for this, as there are external citations from the creators.
• "they became close friends, due to some time alone with each other, such as when Penny cares for Sheldon during illness[28] or when Penny takes him in as he is locked out of his apartment while his friends are in Las Vegas.[37] Sheldon returns the favor as he cares for Penny when she dislocates her shoulder. In all of these instances, the story line ends with one of them singing "Soft Kitty", a song Sheldon's mother used to sing to him, when he was sick.[28] Sheldon has shown that he has at least recognized Penny's attractiveness, stating: "No one can be that attractive and this skilled at a video game (Halo)." " Again with the specifics. You may notice that the "Soft Kitty" incident is already mentioned in this list, which means that it is mentioned twice in the article at different locations.

I was the main editor that modified and expanded the articles on the characters from The Big Bang Theory around December 2009 and January 2010, and I concede that a lot of the info I wrote was cited directly from the show. However, I'm also aware of the need for secondary sources to make good articles. Well, in the case of Sheldon Cooper, some nice editors have added plenty of these secondary sources explaining the character's behavior in the words of critics and the creators themselves. With all these external references, I think that much of the content of the article needs to be summarized or completely removed (even if I wrote it).

I understand that Sheldon Cooper is one of the most fascinating characters of modern TV, but that is no excuse to try to dissect every aspect of his fictional life, especially not in an encyclopedia; I'm sure there are plenty of fan-made web pages where this information can be found. In this article we need to be a little bit more objective than that. 189.250.141.78 (talk) 05:58, 12 February 2010 (UTC)

Regarding nicknames, we should keep only those that are actually used

In the character's infobox, we should not include as nicknames those that were used in only one episode, or as a derogatory term. For instance:

• Sheldon Cooper. He only used "Sheldor" when playing Age of Conan in one episode. No one calls him "Dr. Dumbass", but Leslie Winkle, and that is not a nickname, but an insult. No one calls him "Whackadoodle", but Penny did once, also as an insult. Those are not nicknames.
• Penny. Her online nickname was "Queen Penelope", but she only used it once. It was mentioned anecdotally that her father used to call her "Slugger", but no one calls her like that. Those are not nicknames.
• Howard Wolowitz. "Wolowizard (YouTube)", "Howie", "Sir Howard of Wolowitz (online)", "Wealthy Big Penis (online)", also one-time uses. Those are not nicknames.

---189.250.141.78 (talk) 04:04, 13 February 2010 (UTC)

Agreed, insults like "Dr. Dumbass" should not be noted. However, online nicknames are in fact just that, nicknames, and even though they may have appeared just once on the show, Sheldon Cooper (the character) might play Age of Conan as "Sheldor" every day, in the fictional alternate reality that is The Big Bang Theory. I suggest online nicknames stay noted. --84.26.78.183 (talk) 14:44, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

A nickname is something that someone else gives you, not something that you choose yourself. Online "nicknames" that you choose yourself aren't actually nicknames. If they were, then my new nickname is "Well hung stud". --AussieLegend (talk) 15:23, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

Knocking on doors

Shouldn't it be noted that Sheldon always does this, thrice? And after each knock, he names the character on who's door he is knocking? ^^ It is one of his tics, no? And it recurs every episode. --84.26.78.183 (talk) 15:09, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

I believe it is worth mentioning it. However, it's hard to summarize Sheldon's fictional biography in a sane way, because fans immediately get excited and start giving every piece of information available on him.

Remember, the article needs to describe a fictional character in a work of fiction. There is no need to provide every single detail on him, only the more important characteristics which allow the reader to obtain a clear picture of what the character is like. With that said, I think I'll wait another season before attempting to edit this article again, because by then the most important or recurrent characteristics of Sheldon Cooper may have been established more objectively, unlike now that every single bit of information is given, even if it only appears in one episode.---189.235.132.234 (talk) 18:11, 19 March 2010 (UTC)

Facial cues

In a recent episode, Sheldon said he has trouble deciphering facial cues, and had trouble knowing when people were happy or sad. I think this should be mentioned, as it's a definitive symptom of Asperger's. 99.225.130.171 (talk) 00:56, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

A lot is said already of the character. His general personality is described:

• He is a nerd
• He is unable to understand social norms
• He has many strange tics

There is no need to prepare a lengthy essay every time he has a strangle tic of sorts.

Also, there is no need to "prove" that he has Asperger's, the show creators establish this, and we only quote them to confirm or deny this. In general, Sheldon is "weird", it doesn't matter if he clinically has Asperger's or not.---189.250.200.1 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 17:27, 4 July 2010 (UTC).

How much time

How much time was spent on this article? There are 70+ sources and it's large. Is this fictional character really that important? 97.85.185.160 (talk) 02:58, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

The character is important, but I definitely agree that there is much unnecessary information. Personally, I won't touch this article until the series ends. Otherwise, fans will just go out of their way and add every single trait they see in Sheldon.---189.250.200.1 (talk) 17:12, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

Birthplace vs Raised in

Several times over the course of the show (including the third season finale), Sheldon references being raised in East Texas. Galveston is by no definition part of East Texas. Did they move...? I can't believe Sheldon is factually incorrect. (I may tweet Bill Prady & see what he says).

Oh, and to the person who posted immediately above me. Sheldon Cooper is one of the more fascinating of TV's fictional characters. If you don't think he's that important, why are you bothering with his page? Karinagw (talk) 02:18, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Galveston, Texas is on the Atlantic coast of Texas, so it is on the east side by some definition. But why does it matter? Is this nitpicking? This is something mention sporadically in the show, and causes no further confusion.

Also, if you have something to say to the person "who posted immediately above me", post the reply in his own section.---189.250.200.1 (talk) 17:21, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

Call for Rewrite

vote to add any or all of the following to this article for excessive trivial content. I'll come back and add these if nobody objects

{{in popular culture}} {{fancruft}} {{off-topic}} possibly for the entire characteristics section

Markleci (talk) 18:00, 22 October 2010 (UTC)

Do you have any specific examples of the problems that precipitated this proposal? If so, why not be bold and fix them? --AussieLegend (talk) 18:12, 22 October 2010 (UTC)

The Apology Insuffiency

I added a little more detailing to Howard and Sheldon's friendship, explaining some detail on the episodes plot. I added a text where it said that Howard may be the only other allowed in the spot. Almost immediately (30 seconds to be exact), he removed that text, citing "OR", so i re-added. he removed again. He then tried to say i was deliberatley vandalising, so i reported him. Rusted AutoParts (talk) 11:51 07 November 2010 (UTC)

What's the source for the expanded detail? It sounds like the dispute is whether your addition is backed up by the cited source; if it's not backed up, it's original research and should be removed. —C.Fred (talk) 16:03, 7 November 2010 (UTC)

(EC) As I tried to explain, by way of edit summaries,[1][2][3] and on your talk page,[4] the content you added constitutes original research and is not permitted. You even admitted that it was sourced from a blocked site,[5] and I explained that blocked sites do not constitute reliable sources. Your response to the explanation was to restore the content without any source and then do this. Since you can't delete this content, I suggest you read Wikipedia:No original research which makes it clear:

"Wikipedia does not publish original research. The term "original research" refers to material—such as facts, allegations, ideas, and stories—not already published by reliable sources. It also refers to any analysis or synthesis of published material to advance a position not advanced by the sources. This means that all material added to articles must be attributable to a reliable published source, even if not actually attributed."

The content you added was not attributable to a reliable published source so it doesn't get added. --AussieLegend (talk) 16:19, 7 November 2010 (UTC)

"Soft Kitty" song

This song appears to be adapted from an old Polish lullaby, Wlazł kotek na płotek . A version titled "Warm Kitty" credited to Edith Newlin appears in "Songs for the Nursery School" by Laura Pendleton MacCarteney. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.153.199.134 (talk) 17:37, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Nicknames

I have added "Dumbass" to his nicknames, for Leslie Winkle does not refer to him by his name occasionally. Rusted AutoParts (talk) 11:29 7 December 2010 (UTC)

That doesn't make it a nickname. She's just being insulting. --AussieLegend (talk) 17:03, 7 December 2010 (UTC)

Nicknames can be insulting, don't you think? She does refer to Sheldon as Dumbass. Rusted AutoParts (talk) 13:38 7 December 2010 (UTC)

Yes they can but that's not what's happening here, she's just insulting him. --AussieLegend (talk) 17:58, 7 December 2010 (UTC)

Sheldon making fun

while Sheldon does occasionally makes attempts of humor, it is wrong to say that Sheldon makes fun of Howard for not having a doctorate. Sheldon honestly views Howard's lack of a doctorate as a sign of Howard's inferiority. Sheldon does not point this out for his enjoyment, but rather to assert that Howard's expertise is lesser than that of Sheldon's. 98.206.155.53 (talk) 18:22, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

Nobel Prize

See also: Talk:Leonard Hofstadter § Robert & Douglas Hofstadter

This edit added a dubious claim to the article. It was reverted because the citation used is to a site that boasts as it's tagline "User Submitted Trivia and Opinion", which seems to make it a Self Sublished Source, as has already been discussed with the editor who added the content at Talk:Leonard Hofstadter#Robert & Douglas Hofstadter. I have removed the content once, noting that the source was not reliable in my edit summary,[6] but the editor restored it again a few hours later, without explanation.[7] I intend removing have removed it again, directing the editor to this discussion.[8] --AussieLegend (talk) 23:27, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

The reliability of the source used has been raised at WP:RSN. --AussieLegend (talk) 00:20, 1 January 2011 (UTC)

asbergers comment

While Asbergers is considered to be an "Autism Spectrum" disorder, it is inaccurate to to say that Asbergers is in fact Autism. Just thought that this bit of information about any disorder he may or may not have should be as accurate as possible when dealing with a fictional character. Brittneylbo (talk) 03:59, 8 December 2010 (UTC)12/07/10

-- it would be more accurate to say that As*P*ergers is in fact autism. Which it isn't. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.3.92.216 (talk) 13:41, 30 January 2011 (UTC)

Sheldon and Hari Seldon

Maybe the name Sheldon is based on Hari Seldon? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.167.249.57 (talk) 22:28, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

There's no evidence of that. His and Leonard's names were based on Sheldon Leonard, as it says in the article.[9] --AussieLegend (talk) 01:28, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

Sheldon Lee Cooper and Sheldon Lee Glashow

I think the character's creator has commissioned Dr. Cooper was a total contradiction of the University Professor Sheldon Lee Glashow of Boston who resigned in real life to his work at Harvard University because it supports the Superstring Theory which paradoxically is the work of Sheldon Lee Cooper character in the TV series. Glashow of 74 years was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1979 for the theory that unifies the weak force and electromagnetism, while Cooper wants to win the Nobel Prize with development The Grand Unified Theory with the study of superstrings. Sarcasm?. Let's ask the creators of the series (the name of the contributor of Glashow is Howard Georgi). — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mastergnostico (talk • contribs) 03:05, 20 March 2011 (UTC)

I don't know how but

I added the part about the bifurcated uvula, but I'm not sure how to reference pre-existing tags. In any case, it's in Season 4, episode 6, the irish pub formulation. :D thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.58.249.45 (talk) 15:41, 24 July 2011 (UTC)

Degrees

I think it is accepted that Sheldon has two doctorates; however, BigBangWiki cites an episode for his degrees listing PhD and ScD (Doctor of Science), as to some articles on wikipedia. However, both wikipedia and BigBangwiki refer to his "First PhD" at Age 16, and BigBangWiki refers to "Sheldon took four years to write his second Doctor of Philosophy thesis." - so can anyone confirm by citing actual quotes from the show (and the wording differences between "doctorate" and "PhD" whether he has 2 PhDs and an ScD? or 2 PhDs and no ScD, or one of each? TheHYPO (talk) 20:45, 4 August 2011 (UTC)

Asperger section

i dpnt think this part should be here. It isnt proven or stated on the show. just viewer speculation. It doesnt belong on a page about facts the character. it needs to be removed.Caringtype1 (talk) 23:49, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

Strongly disagree. I believe the discussion of Asperger syndrome is an excellent technique for agglomerating Sheldon's different personality traits into a coherent whole. It perfoms a useful function. HairyWombat 17:20, 31 August 2011 (UTC)

The section on Asperger's (while an interesting and sometimes humorous read) is essentially an essay and is a textbook case of original research, which is of course against Wikipedia policy, and not verifiable in the least. The show has never said that Shledon has Asperger's and Chuck Lorre specifically said that Sheldon does not have Asperger's. I'm sure there are editors that could come up with another section full of evidence on why Sheldon deosn't have the illness. All of this is speculation and opinion. If the show announces he has Asperger's THEN the section can stay (although even then it would have to be greatly reduced). Otherwise, it has to be removed. I'll give the major authors of this article a couple of days to intergrate any VERIFIABLE information into the rest of the article, before we remove it.--Esprit15d • talk • contribs 13:03, 1 September 2011 (UTC)

"... before we remove it." Who is "we"? HairyWombat 15:37, 1 September 2011 (UTC)

The editors who have been working on this article.--Esprit15d • talk • contribs 16:39, 5 September 2011 (UTC)

There was certainly a lot of OR in the section, and it has been in the article for some time, originally added under "Eccentric characteristics".[10] Somebody has since seen fit to change the section heading to "Asperger syndrome".[11] The original Asperger syndrome section is properly referenced real-world treatment of the issue and the fact that it comes up so often that both Prady and Parsons have had to address it publicly makes it notable enough to retain in its current format, i.e. without all the extra waffle. --AussieLegend (talk) 17:13, 1 September 2011 (UTC)

The new Asperger's section is AWESOME. It acknowledges the topic while still conforming to the fiction guidelines. Formerly, it looked like Wikipedia has the opinion that Sheldon has Asperger's, and Wikipedia should never have an opinion about anything. It should report facts and (to a lesser extent) the opinions of notable and relevant people.--Esprit15d • talk • contribs 16:39, 5 September 2011 (UTC)

Just a non-important side note, some people take offense to Aspergers being referred to as an "illness." Temple Grandin (herself being autistic) frequently points out in lectures (as other people do) people with AS just have brains wired with different priorities. "Condition" might have been a better word for you to have used. :P — al-Shimoni (talk) 20:54, 9 September 2011 (UTC)

Sheldon's Aspergers

Yes Sheldon does have Aspergers when the character who plays him so he bases Sheldon on aspergers characteristics, its is quite good evidence. What I think is happpening is the truth of Sheldon being aspergers is coinciding with Bill Prady understandably not wanting to say Sheldon has aspergers in order not to have a lawsuit taken against him. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.42.148.159 (talk) 12:46, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

Qualifications

The M.A, links to the wrong page. He has a masters of astronomy, not a masters of arts. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.97.118.32 (talk) 19:59, 16 October 2011 (UTC)

I can't see the episode to check the quote, but given that the text says MS and MA, he apparently has two master's degrees. (One would assume the astronomy degree is the MS, but that would be an assumption.) What source do you have to go against it, or do you have a quote of the episode in question? —C.Fred (talk) 20:11, 16 October 2011 (UTC)

The quote from the episode is "I'm Doctor Sheldon Cooper, B.S., M.S., M.A., Ph.D. and Sc.D." He doesn't say any more than that about his qualifications. --AussieLegend (talk) 10:09, 17 October 2011 (UTC)

Amy Farrah Fowler

He got her a tiara — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.207.237.46 (talk) 01:28, 16 January 2012 (UTC)

Pictures?

For such a long article I think this has surprisingly little pictures. Currently there's just one photo and that's in the beginning. Perhaps a few more, or what do you think? -- 80.220.60.227 (talk) 19:21, 25 January 2012 (UTC)

Fair use limits the number of images that can be used in an article that come from a copyrighted source (such as show clips). Unless there are free use images of the character (they don't usually let cameras on set, the best one might be able to offer would be a shot of Parsons out of character for additional reference in a section about production. I don't see that that would add any clarity to the article, however. TheHYPO (talk) 23:49, 25 January 2012 (UTC)

This is an encyclopaedia, not a picture book. There is no need for any more pictures than the one at the beginning. (WP Editor 2011 (talk) 01:05, 27 January 2012 (UTC))

Sheldon was wrong?

As many BBT viewers are aware, the character Sheldon has a habit of mentioning facts in his conversations. And these facts are almost always correct. Almost.

I recall that there was a very specific instance (it might have been during the 2009-2010 season) when Sheldon stated a fact that was incontrovertibly wrong. Regrettably, I cannot recall the incident (episode or subject matter) but I think it may have occurred during one of his doorway conversations with Penny. I apologize for the lack of specificity, but I did not take notes when I watched the program.

Perhaps an editor with very good knowledge of BBT could add cite the episode & subject matter, and add an appropriate passage to the article. 72.82.177.40 (talk) 03:09, 2 September 2011 (UTC)

He made a bet with Wolowitz regarding the identification of a cricket they could hear from the living room. Wolowitz identified it as a common field cricket, I forget what Sheldon thought it was. Anyways, Sheldon lost the bet, and as a result had to give Wolowitz his prized copy of Flash #123. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.246.86.168 (talk) 15:16, 18 November 2011 (UTC)

Sheldon thought it was a "snowy tree cricket". The reference is:

• "The Jiminy Conjecture". The Big Bang Theory. Season 3. Episode 2. September 28, 2009. 06:14 minutes in. CBS. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help) --AussieLegend (talk) 17:50, 18 November 2011 (UTC)

In The Weekend Vortex - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Big_Bang_Theory_episodes_%28season_5%29

Sheldon makes the common mistake of thinking the plural of lego is legos. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.154.113.152 (talk) 11:43, 13 March 2012 (UTC)

Replace "scientific" with "unenthusaistic" - huh?

There's a section in the article that is, and always has been, about a conflict between Sheldon's scientific beliefs and his mother's spiritual beliefs. (It was first added to List of The Big Bang Theory characters in October 2008,[12] before this article was split out in 2009, and has been considerably dumbed down since then) For some reason, an editor decided to change this to read, "Sheldon's mother, Mary, is a devout Christian whose spiritual beliefs often come into conflict with Sheldon's unenthusiastic ones", which makes no sense. What are "unenthusiastic beliefs"? Naturally I reverted the change but the editor reverted back, claiming that I added incorrect information,[13] when what I actually did was restored the original, correct information.[14] The editor is welcome to explain here why a straight-forward statement should be changed into something that is, ultimately, nonsensical. --AussieLegend (talk) 01:54, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

Saying that Sheldon's scientific beliefs conflict with his mother's religious beliefs makes no sense unless you buy into the misconception that religion and science compete with each other and are in conflict. Sheldon is Christian, although he appears to be cynical about it and reluctant to let his faith become a more important factor in his life, as demonstrated with his argument about Newton being born on Christmas but not Jesus. He also says that spending 12 hours in church was unpleasant and he thinks the line "What would Jesus do?" is used too much, but nothing in the series suggests that science has anything to do with it. (WP Editor 2011 (talk) 02:47, 27 January 2012 (UTC))

In the series, Mary's spiritual beliefs do conflict with Sheldon's scientific principles almost every time they come in contact with each other so, in this series, they do compete with each other. Sheldon never demonstrates "his faith". He occasionally says something apparently religious, such as when he said "Thank you Jesus" while bowling, but this is not a demonstration of faith. It's a mere expression. He seems very irreligious throughout the entire series. All this aside though, your post does not explain why or what "unenthusiastic beliefs" are and why it should replace "scientific beliefs". As you can see from the link I've provided above, the original text in this section was "His mother Mary is a devout Christian whose spiritual beliefs are often at odds with Sheldon's strictly-held beliefs in science".[15] For some reason it has been dumbed down considerably since then, and lost some of the meaning, but that has now been fixed. Well, it had been fixed, but now you've reintroced the content that you were concerned about.[16] --AussieLegend (talk) 03:01, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

I restored the article to its former state because your edit relates to this discussion, therefore it was inappropriate for you to make that change without it being mentioned here; the discussion is not over and the article shouldn't be changed until it is. What I mean by "unenthusiastic beliefs" is that Sheldon does have spiritual beliefs but he isn't devout like his mother and that is the source of the conflict, as opposed to Sheldon having entirely different beliefs. You're right in saying that Sheldon doesn't demonstrate his faith, although he certainly doesn't deny it either, even though there were plenty of circumstances when the viewer would expect him to do so if he had no faith. The most reasonable explanation is that Sheldon is indeed Christian, like the overwhelming majority of Americans, but he doesn't want his faith to take over his life like his mother's life. (WP Editor 2011 (talk) 03:20, 27 January 2012 (UTC))

Please explain how science comes into it. I can't recall any examples of where science came into Sheldon's discussions of religious issues. (WP Editor 2011 (talk) 03:22, 27 January 2012 (UTC))

When I made that change you hadn't even involved yourself in this discussion and I wasn't sure if you were even going to bother. The change was made to restore the original text that was considerably more encyclopaedic and a lot less dumbed down than what you've restored. Wikipedia works on verifiability, not what one might or might not expect and all we can verify is that Sheldon has never demonstrated that he is a Christian. At best he's irreligious, which is what is in the infobox. Regardless of what you mean by "unenthusiastic beliefs", it's beyond ambiguous. Sheldon has never demonstrated any religious beliefs, only indifference and sometimes even disdain towards such beliefs. When his mother telephoned him upon his return from the Arctic he refuted her belief that because her church group had prayed for him, and he had arrived home safely, that the praying had worked, with post hoc ergo propter hoc. When she asked him to go on a religious themed cruise with her he said "If I did it would be conclusive proof that your God could work miracles" (emphasis added) and then suggested that he would be interested to see how far her group had progressed, noting their willingness to sail out into the ocean without fear of falling off the edge. On another occasion, when his mother suggested that his idea of what DNA in a silicon based life form would look like would be "as intelligently designed by a creator" he politely changed the subject. He was reluctant to say grace when his mother insisted. In the same episode he said he was going to live in Texas trying to teach evolution to creationists. None of this demonstrates any faith in religion. You'll note that the section I restored says "are often at odds with Sheldon's strictly-held beliefs in science", not "come into conflict with Sheldon's scientific ones". This is what the section should say, as it is more correct. Do you deny that his mother's spiritual beliefs are often at odds with Sheldon's scientific beliefs"? --AussieLegend (talk) 04:32, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

His beliefs are certainly at odds with hers, but it can't be attributed to science. I don't think you understand what I was saying. Perhaps the article should just say "Sheldon's mother is a devout Christian, unlike him, and this is a source of conflict" or something along those lines, i.e. there would be no speculation regarding Sheldon's beliefs. What do you say to this compromise?(WP Editor 2011 (talk) 06:14, 27 January 2012 (UTC))

The only speculation occurs when people assume Sheldon to be Christian. As a scientist, he clearly believes in evolution over creationism, that is shown in the episode where he says he's going to try to teach evolution to creationists. He doesn't agree with his mother's assertion about being "intelligently designed by a creator". I don't see any issue with saying that his mother's Christian beliefs being often at odds with his strictly-held beliefs in science, since this has been demonstrated time and again. --AussieLegend (talk) 06:53, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

No it hasn't. I've read everything you said, but I didn't see it demonstrated once that Sheldon's scientific knowledge contradicts religious beliefs. Creationism is believed by only a minority of Christians, Wikipedia says so at Creationism. Therefore Sheldon's belief in evolution instead of creationism doesn't prove anything. The flat earth suggestion from the Arctic episode is just ridiculous and I can't believe that you would mention it here. I was being serious and I would have expected the same from you instead of suggesting that Christians believe in a flat Earth. The post hoc ergo propter hoc issue is more closely aligned with Sheldon's pet hate of bad logic than anything else. When I said that Sheldon is Christian, I wasn't suggesting it be included in the article. Nevertheless, your idea is speculation, since Sheldon's behaviour doesn't indicate any conflict between his spiritual beliefs (whatever they are) and his scientific knowledge.(WP Editor 2011 (talk) 08:00, 27 January 2012 (UTC))

I made a helpful correction to the article because it had been wrong, then you reverted it because you "didn't understand" and falsely accused me of vandalism then denied doing so. Even when I came here to the talk page and explained Sheldon to you, you still kept insisting that you didn't understand and even started bringing up stupid, irrelevant issues like creationism and the flat Earth myth. What you are doing is a filibuster. You even tried to change the article to a third version without any mention of it in our discussion here until I caught you out. "Unenthusiastic" is the opposite of "devout"; I've already explained what I meant and how Sheldon's mind works repeatedly. Determined to resolve the issue, I even suggested a compromise that doesn't deny what you were suggesting, which was the article's original erroneous speculation, yet you're still determined to say "I don't understand" and prevent a resolution indefinitely. I'm only a new user, but I can see that your tactic is exactly the issue dealt with at WP:DRNC. Therefore I'm changing the article to say "Sheldon's mother is a devout Christian, unlike him", which is the compromise I already suggested quite a few lines ago. (WP Editor 2011 (talk) 09:37, 27 January 2012 (UTC))

(ec)Your edit wasn't helpful because it made the content ambiguous. As I indicated to you earlier, I made the change to the article well before you turned up here, and it was made to restore the original non-dumbed down version, hopefully to make it clearer to you as to why your change was wrong. "Unenthusiastic" is not the opposite of devout, the opposite is "insincere", but it's not applicable here because the section is about the conflict between Mary's religious beliefs and Sheldon's scientific beliefs. "Unenthusiastic" doesn't even make sense in the sentence. Your attempt to bulldoze your "compromise" into the article citing WP:DRNC is misguided. For a start, it's only an essay, not a policy. Secondly, it specifically covers reversions, not bulldozing your desired content into an article. The content that you are trying to change has been in the article, and the article it was split from, in one form or another for 3 1/2 years and almost 2,500 edits. Since silence implies consent it can be assumed that the community has no problem with the content, and you shouldn't try to bulldoze your edits into an article in the middle of a discussion. Not only is it edit-warring it's incredibly hypocritical given your reversion of my edit. All that will happen is the article will be fully protected and if you persist in edit warring you may find yourself blocked from editing completely. During discussions, the status quo normally prevails. This edit was reasonable, this one was definitely not. You need to continue to discuss the matter for the time being. --AussieLegend (talk) 10:59, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

As for this edit summary, it is most certainly not agreed upon. I've been attempting to respond but with the edits that you've subsequently made to the talk page,[17][18] I've been unable to save due to edit conflicts, as well as having to modify my response, after reading your edits thoroughly. I'm sorry that you've chosen to continue to edit war over this. --AussieLegend (talk) 11:09, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

Hi guys. I'm stepping in to provide an neutral outside opinion, in the hopes that it will help resolve the dispute. If you feel you need to escalate the discussion further, there are resources available at WP:Dispute resolution which might be more help.

As I see the above debate, WP Editor 2011 takes issue with the suggestion that science and religion are incompatible, and feels the previous text indicated support for that viewpoint. AussieLegend sees a dramatic/comedic conflict generated through the apparent incompatibility of Sheldon and his mother's belief systems, and thus wishes to retain the earlier text. If I've misrepresented either of you here, please let me know.

The ideal solution would naturally be a secondary source which discusses Sheldon's conflict with his mother (and if either of you can produce one, please do so!), but failing that the wording should reflect information that can be directly gleaned (without excessive interpretation) from the series' episodes. I'm not a fan, myself, so I'm going on what's in the article at present.

In the absence of a source that claims, "Sheldon's scientific views are contrasted with his mother's religious ones to create comedic scenarios," or somethign similar, it verges on WP:OR to make that claim. What appears evident from the scripts is that Sheldon's mother holds strong religious views to which her son does not subscribe. As such, I support the compromise proposed and implemented by WP Editor 2011, which does not attempt to interpret the information but merely reports it. That, after all, is what we do here.

I hope having a third-party viewpoint is useful, as I said above, please consider escalating to Dispute resolution if not. Please also try to avoid edit-warring; bringing the discussion to this talk page was the correct thing to do, but further edits to the article should be put on hold until a consensus is established here. Yunshui 雲‍水 11:13, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

Thank you Yunshui, you've understood it well, especially considering you don't watch the show. AussieLegend, just because the article was like that for 3.5 years doesn't make it right. The Myth of the Flat Earth, which you seem to believe, has existed for much longer than that but it's certainly not true. Imagine what Sheldon would say about your logic. I didn't read the article 3.5 years ago anyway; I read it yesterday and stumbled upon that error while I was reading the article for the first time. Pretty much all the edits I make are spelling and grammar corrections, so I'm quite used to fixing errors that have been around for a while. When I corrected it, I never dreamt that anyone would start all this trouble just because they found my work "ambiguous" and "hard to understand." I tried to explain it to you repeatedly; I wasn't trying to bulldoze anything through or break any rules. I should add that I haven't broken the rules. Nevertheless, that didn't stop you from warning me about the three revert rule on my talk page, even though you've reverted the page 3 times and, depending on how one counts, I reverted it either once or twice. Don't say "I made the change [to what the linked source says] before you turned up here"; I may not have finished writing my first post here at that stage, but I had certainly indicated my intention to discuss the issue. Sheldon's mother is devout and he's not. Attributing the conflict to science is wrong and it's speculation. (WP Editor 2011 (talk) 11:23, 27 January 2012 (UTC))

The article doesn't make a suggestion that science and religion are incompatible, it merely says that Sheldon's mother's religious beliefs (not religion itself - she has some "peculiar" beliefs) and Sheldon's scientific beliefs conflict, which they do. That is acknowledged by WP Editor 2011.[19] My opposition to WP Editor 2011's initial change has nothing to do with a dramatic/comedic conflict, it was because replacement of "scientific" with "unenthusiastic" made the sentence nonsensical, which is why I asked what "unenthusiastic beliefs" were. I do agree that "that the wording should reflect information that can be directly gleaned" and I believe that the fact that the existing sentence survived, relatively unscathed, for 3.5 years and 2,500 edits demonstrates that the numerous other editors (too many to count) feel that the text does that. "Sheldon's scientific views are contrasted with his mother's religious ones to create comedic scenarios", is not what is stated in the prose. The statement is far simpler than that; it merely says their beliefs are in conflict, and I've provided examples of this above. I take offence to WP Editor 2011's persistent assertion that I believe in the flat Earth theory. I do not and, if WP Editor 2011 had read what I posted he would realise that was but one example of how Sheldon sees his mother's beliefs. WP Editor 2011, Wikipedia is a collaborative effort and consensus is the primary way in which we make decisions on Wikipedia. You may not have broken rules yet, but by pushing your edit into the article in the middle of the discussion,[20] despite there being absolutely no agreement to use that suggestion, and then reverting my reversion to the status quo, claiming that I agreed to the edit,[21] when clearly I did not,[22] you've certainly breached the spirit of the rules. I'd like to see you demonstrate that you intend to collaborate on this by reverting to the status quo, as it should be while we're discussing it. Remember, it was you who took exception to me changing the text before we'd even started discussing, claiming that the article should remain as it was before we started.[23][24] And please, don't make out that you're innocent regarding reversions. You've made 3 in less than 10 hours,[25][26][27] not "either once or twice". Now that we've gotten that out of our systems, is it possible to discuss the matter and hand? --AussieLegend (talk) 12:32, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

I don't think you understand what the flat Earth myth actually is. See Myth of the flat earth. Yes, I did make three changes, but they weren't the same changes, so that doesn't count as three reversions. You made the same change three times. That's why I said "once or twice." I didn't push my edit through "in the middle of the discussion" either. When I implemented the compromise suggestion, I was under the impression that you weren't prepared to engage in any genuine discussion any more, since you had been repeatedly saying "I don't understand, so don't change anything" and had steered the discussion into the ridiculous tangent of creationism and a flat Earth. I didn't claim that you agreed to anything you didn't. Stop talking about the 3.5 years and 2,500 edits. Not every editor would have read that sentence anyway and even if they did, that doesn't make it right. I would like to discuss it if you have anything to say, but I'm reluctant to reinstate the original sentence in the meantime because I suspect your intention all along was to keep it in place by stalling discussion. How can you say that religion and science aren't in conflict but Mary's religious beliefs are in conflict with Sheldon's scientific beliefs? (WP Editor 2011 (talk) 12:55, 27 January 2012 (UTC))

(e/c)AussieLegend, I absolutely agree that "unenthusiastic" is an inappropriate word to use, and I apologise for misrepresenting your position. As far as I can tell, there is no source - either within the programme itself or independent of it - that explicity establishes whether or not Sheldon is a Christian. Speculation as to his religious views or lack of same therefore doesn't really belong in the article. We can say that his mother is religious (that seems pretty easy to support), we can't say the same of him.

AussieLegend, what's your opinion of the proposed compromise? Bearing in mind the points raised above, do you think there might be a better way of phrasing it?

Regarding 3RR; as things stand, WP Editor 2011 is in violation of the rule (within the last 24 hours, you have made four reversions/additions, according to the edit history), whilst AussieLegend will breach 3RR if he reverts again today (technically that's only true for another couple of hours, but editing just outside the 3RR window is viewed in a very dim light). I would recommend WP Editor 2011 revert his last edit as a demonstration of good faith, that way we can avoid taking this to the edit-warring noticeboard. Since a discussion is underway, I propose leaving the status quo in place (with no bias as to the eventual result) until this discussion can be formally concluded. Yunshui 雲‍水 13:09, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

A couple of points in addition:

• Without intending to sound patronising, please calm down. Let's focus on the issue at hand, rather than dredging up edit counts, length of service and Myth of the flat earth.
• Consensus is not determined by another editor's silence. Until both parties agree to a compromise, or until enough editors weigh in on one side or another, please don't assume that the matter is resolved.
• I hate filing 3RR reports, so please don't force me to do so. The edit history shows who did what and when, and right now it shows WP Editor 2011 breaking the limit. Protesting otherwise won't help much.

Yunshui 雲‍水 13:17, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

I don't think that the "compromise" is adequate. Yes, it's true, but it's really a throw-away statement that's not worthy of inclusion in its present form as it comes across as being trivial. "She's religious, he's not." So what? That said, I don't think that what was in the article was very good either, which is why I changed it back to the 2008 text.[28] It's more accurate to say that their beliefs are at odds, than in conflict. They have different beliefs, which is apparent in the episodes, but they're not incompatible, as they work around the beliefs. "Sheldon's mother, Mary, is a devout Christian whose spiritual beliefs are often at odds with Sheldon's strictly-held beliefs in science" tells us that she's religious and he's not, but it also explains why this is relevant, ie the mother and son's different beliefs are often at odds. I've provided examples of this earlier,[29] so I won't repeat them here. You are correct that there is no source that explicitly establishes whether or not Sheldon is a Christian. The best source for his views is probably the episode in which he refers to "your God" when responding to his mother's suggestion that he accompany her on a religious themed cruise. --AussieLegend (talk) 14:43, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

I see your point; there is little point in just noting that the two characters have different beliefs. To avoid the science/religion dichotomy which WP Editor 2011 objects to, how would, "Sheldon's mother, Mary, is a devout Christian, whose beliefs are often at odds with Sheldon's own" work as a compromise? I appreciate that, given the character's scientific background, a friction between science and religious belief is implied, but as far as I can tell there's no explicit statement anywhere saying that Sheldon and his mother disagree on those grounds specifically. Again, though, I've only ever seen a couple of episodes, so if such a statement exists please correct me. Yunshui 雲‍水 15:02, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

I have also, per WP:BRD, reverted the article to its historic version for the duration of this discussion. I have no bias as to which text should be kept, but at present the discussion is still ongoing, so let's keep the article stable until a consensus is reached. Yunshui 雲‍水 15:05, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

"Sheldon's mother, Mary, is a devout Christian, whose beliefs are often at odds with Sheldon's own" - Yeah, that works. --AussieLegend (talk) 15:11, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

WP Editor 2011, would you be happy with this phrasing? Yunshui 雲‍水 15:16, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

I wasn't aware of breaking any rules; I'm just a new user. I thought making different changes doesn't count towards the three revert rule. Yunshui, your suggestion is fine. Sheldon's mother, Mary, is a devout Christian, whose beliefs are often at odds with Sheldon's own. (WP Editor 2011 (talk) 00:48, 28 January 2012 (UTC))

Ok, if you're both happy with that I'll edit the article accordingly. WP Editor, I owe you an apology; I re-checked your edits after seeing your last message, and I made a mistake before (viewed the same diff twice, I think). You were not technically violating 3RR, although the edit-warring was still problematic. Sorry for the false accusation (I'm very glad I didn't take this to the edit-war board now!). Best wishes to the both of you. Yunshui 雲‍水 18:26, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

Thanks very much for your help. --AussieLegend (talk) 01:41, 29 January 2012 (UTC)

Overly detailed?

I think that for a page about a fictional character (whether current or not), this article is far too long and has much detail that is only of concern to fans of the show as well as information that properly belongs in a synopsis or list of episode details. Compare the length of articles on Hamlet for a far more important fictional character and Albert Einstein for a real person. This article is almost as long as that on Einstein, and far longer than that on Hamlet. I will be adding the Overly Detailed template unless people can provide justification for the amount of detail included. Markleci (talk) 18:30, 7 January 2012 (UTC)

yep, reads like an idolising essay rather than an encyclopaedic article. Efficacious (talk) 12:27, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

I edited it to reduce a lot of unneccisary information, but someone reverted. The information I edited out included his birthdate, all his nicknames, all his degrees, family members, etc. This is a fictional character article and needs to be edited as such. The way to edit all fictional character articles is to focus mainly on out-of-universe information such as character creation/development and Parson's or other actors' opinions of Sheldon. It should not be edited as if he's a real person like a fan wiki or fan site does. A general synopsis of his in-universe history and characteristics is acceptable but not details such as his relationships with obscure characters like Leslie Winkle or Kripky.--174.252.55.217 (talk) 01:29, 12 April 2012 (UTC)

OCPD vs OCD: One, both or neither?

People frequently [citation needed ;-)] confuse Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) and Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The introduction to the article mentions that Sheldon has the personality disorder but gives no details. The contents menu and associated section mention the anxiety disorder and give a couple of behaviours. Having never seen the show (I was referred here from a forum), I can't opine which, if either, he has but this article compounds the ignorance that people have about these two distinct conditions. Is there a headshrinker in the house? 92.24.199.71 (talk) 13:01, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

He has OCPD, not OCD. He's a perfectionist obsessed with routine and everything being in its place. He rigidly adheres to doing things at set times on set days, such as washing his clothes (8:15 every Saturday evening) and having his hair cut. He is sure he is right and thinks it chaotic if everything isn't done to a strict routine. Although he is a bit over-concerned with hygiene, he doesn't wash excessively or check things excessively and does not seem to fulfil the OCD criteria. OCD people are troubled by unwanted thoughts; OCPD people think their thoughts are correct. Sheldon frequently makes it clear that he thinks he's correct in the way he does things. Jim Michael (talk) 23:55, 29 May 2012 (UTC)

Sheldon's postnominals

According to current academic guidelines postnominals are listed from highest-to-lowest and with only the highest in each discipline being given. For example, the BS, MS, and ScD are all “of science” so only the highest would be listed. Accordingly, he would properly be “Sheldon Lee Cooper, PhD, ScD, MA”. It could be stated elsewhere in the article that he has the other degrees. Sg647112c (talk) 18:22, 11 January 2012 (UTC)

It's obscure information that shouldn't even be in the article in the first place. He is a fictional character and needs to be treated as such. In other words, most of the information needs to be written from an out-of-universe perspective and not as if he's a real person. --174.252.55.217 (talk) 01:41, 12 April 2012 (UTC)

Per WP:CREDENTIAL they shouldn't be listed at all. I've removed them from all the BBT character articles. I fully expect a fanboy freakout, but this is the correct style. Real people with Ph.D.s don't have their degrees listed. PigArcher (talk) 00:14, 25 June 2012 (UTC)

There was a discussion in 2010 about applicability of the MoS to fictional characters and, while it mainly referred to names and not postnominals, the view of the majority of editors is that MOS:BIO doesn't apply to fictional characters. --AussieLegend (talk) 01:55, 25 June 2012 (UTC)

So therefore they absolutely must be listed everywhere and under no circumstances can they be removed, ever. Got it. Do you want to declare any other absolute decrees we should be aware of? PigArcher (talk) 09:23, 25 June 2012 (UTC)

Nobody has said anything of the sort. I've explained further on your talk page,[30] and mine.[31] --AussieLegend (talk) 10:04, 25 June 2012 (UTC)

Sidestepping the escalated question whether or not fictional characters should have academic degrees listed in the first place, seeing as Sheldon's (and the others') degrees are currently mentioned indeed, I've taken the liberty of actually addressing the initial point raised by Sg647112c (talk):

• The order in which to list degrees is not set in stone (not in the U.S. anyway, in my country it actually is). Increasing order of significance is common and acceptable. As is chronological order, but in Sheldon's case this cannot be established from canon as far as I know.
• One normally only lists the highest degrees in every field. Listing both BS and MS, although not technically forbidden, is strongly frowned upon. As is listing either when one has a PhD in the same field and/or an ScD.
• Using the word and is entirely inappropriate (or more to the point: just plain incorrect) altogether anyway. I suspect that a fan just copied Sheldon's "I’m dr. Sheldon Cooper, BS, MS, MA, PhD, and ScD. OMG, right?"-joke verbatim, not knowing that it's a joke and one doesn't actually really say/write that (in fact, this quote contains another serious error...).

-- Skysmurf  (Talk) 22:16, 13 August 2012 (UTC)

Asperger syndrome

Changed the conjunction between the two statements made by Parsons about his portrayal, removing the "however" prefacing the second- the statements are complicit, not contradictory. --74.132.67.84 (talk) 13:28, 25 March 2012 (UTC)

I need to chime in on this issue, I watch the big bang theory and can relate to a lot of Sheldon's behaviour. I have similar behaviour on occasions, but minus the minor OCD. I absolutely DO NOT have aspergers. I have visited with many aspergers people in a support group and it is quite clear that the behaviour does not correlate. The cause of sheldons quirks are very likely due to a particular form of dyslexia which is most certainly common with those of a high IQ. any linking of Sheldon with aspergers seems to be due to a misunderstanding of what aspergers is and how it manifests in a persons behaviour. if sheldon did have aspergers he would show considerable more difficulty in adapting to new social conventions.Drag-5 (talk) 17:25, 1 May 2012 (UTC)

Sheldon Cooper is very autistic. He does not show any indication of having dyslexia. What part of adapting to new social conventions are you saying he does easily? Jim Michael (talk) 23:55, 29 May 2012 (UTC)

how about every single one. I may not have this ad verbatim, but i think it went something like this " sheldon it's a non-optional social convention" "oh okay then" they then proceed to go and buy a gift for leonard. I saw absolutely zero difficulty in sheldon adapting to this new situation. this kind of things happens all the time. as for indications of dyslexia, ensuring things are in order is a sign of dyslexia. I do this. my inability to deal with large amounts of data at any particular time, leads me to create specific order in certain areas of my life, without which I would have a constant sense of unease and a sense i Have forgotten something. sheldon appears to behave in a similar way, creating order in aspects of his life to promote ease of mind when not thinking about them.Drag-5 (talk) 15:56, 10 June 2012 (UTC)

He is socially awkward and frequently makes faux pas when talking to people. He has to be told of social conventions, he doesn't pick up on them naturally from other people in the way that most people would, nor does he enjoy them at all. He has a formal way of speaking and does not do small talk. He is in these respects typical of an intelligent, educated, autistic person. Whilst some dyslexics may put things in order, being a control freak is not typical of them; it is typical of people who have obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and many autistics put things in order, even when it is not necessary. Social ineptitude is not a feature of dyslexia; it is a prominent feature of autism. He shows no difficulty writing, which dyslexics struggle with. Jim Michael (talk) 17:54, 11 June 2012 (UTC)

you seem to be missing the point though. I AM dyslexic. I do not have issues writing. although my 'condition' is classified under dyslexia, it is not characterised by awkwardness in spelling etc. it is more general difficulty in information processing. I already said i see similarities between myself and sheldon. I can be a control freak at times in the same fashion as you just mentioned. I am also socially awkward due to my partially isolated upbringing. I am often unaware of some things I do that may make people feel uncomfortable or angry and often feel awkward around people because i find it difficult to read new situations. I am often too formal in my speech and people often consider me aloof. I was tested by a trained professional. he tested all cognitive functioning using the WAIS II system. I am not autistic or aspergers syndrome. I even visited a support group for aspergers and autism just to make sure. I met a few people who were autistic or merely aspergers. sheldon is not like any of these people. sheldon has a clear ability to adapt when he wants to . his simple disinterest in adopting social skills does not equal an inability to do such. it merely characterises a disinterest. in fact what i have already pointed out, an ability to easily adapt to new social conventions clearly shows that he has no difficulty in doing so. he is merely disinterested.Drag-5 (talk) 03:04, 16 June 2012 (UTC)

I have watched many episodes of this show and I have never seen him adapt easily / normally to any social situation, he has to be told and learns everything formally, not from perception. He is unusually intelligent yet cannot pick up on social cues, cannot read between the lines and cannot discern a person's feelings from facial expressions, tone of voice etc. He says things which cause embarrassment to those around him and which cause problems for himself that he did not want. He has difficulty telling whether a person is genuine or is joking. He is often far too trusting and is naive to some people having ulterior motives. He asks Penny how long a hug should last, if her menstrual cycle is regular and what age her mother had the menopause. He is surprised when she tells him that trust is an inherent part of friendship. He has to formally learn basic things which most people are able to discern for themselves without being told. He always uses formal language, even in situations that are clearly informal. That he is not interested in many things that most people are interested in backs the case that he is autistic. He is conscientious and ambitious in his career. He is not apathetic to things in general. He is anxious and fastidious and does not have unusual beliefs. He does not think he is being persecuted or conspired against. This rules out cluster A personality disorders. He asserts his intellectual superiority, but does not have an excessive need for admiration. He knows he's a genius, does not care about anyone's opinion of him and does not seek narcissistic supply. He doesn't care about his physical appearance, wear designer clothes or drive a Ferrari or have a trophy partner, hence he does not have narcissistic personality disorder. I cannot think of a more obvious case of Asperger's that Sheldon. Significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns and behavior and interests centainly describes him well, and that is the description in the lead of our article on Asperger's. Jim Michael (talk) 02:35, 17 July 2012 (UTC)

During a scene whilst Sheldon and Penny were washing their clothes, she asked him if Leonard had ever dated a "regular girl". His reply was "I take it you don't mean digestive regularity, because I've learnt that it's inappropriate to discuss such things". This is one of many examples that show he is unable to work out for himself what topics are or are not appropriate to discuss socially. During the same conversation, after she asks him to keep a secret, he is surprised to learn from Penny that confidentiality and trust are inherent features of friendship. The vast majority of people learn that during childhood without being clearly informed of that, because it is obvious. He has to be explicity told of social ettiquette; he has less understanding of it than most people with IQs of 80 have. Most people can easily discern what is or is not appropriate. he cannot. Comparing to people in a support group is not reasonable. Support groups are for people who have great difficulty coping. High-functioning, successful people do not need, and hence do not attend, support groups. No-one discusses physics at a support group; such places are for people who have difficulty with ordinary, everyday life.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.28.166.61 (talk) 15:35, 18 July 2012 (UTC)

In response to Jim Michael, I can think of hundreds of thousands of people who are far more obvious cases of Aspergers, and they are the people who in real-life have received a diagnosis after a number of assessments by professionals in the field. Sheldon Cooper isn't one of them. Until it is explicitly stated within the series that he is Aspergers, then fan speculation doesn't cut it. I agree the character exhibits a number of traits that could be construed as Aspergers/Autism, but in real-life he would be a very atypical case, displaying none of the restricted physical behaviours or sensory sensitivities associated with the condition. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.164.54.136 (talk) 23:23, 15 October 2012 (UTC)

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Ladies and gentlemen, upon glancing at this talk page, I have noticed that an argument over the psychological disposition of Sheldon Cooper has erupted, over whether or not he has Asperger Syndrome or OCPD. I believe, however, that Sheldon Cooper possesses symptoms that can link him to being Schizotypal, and below is a thorough examination of his behaviour as evidence of my claim.

From the Wikipedia article, the symptoms of Schizotypal Personality Disorder, as defined by the American Psychiatric Association, are:

* Ideas of reference (excluding delusions of reference)

In the Infestation Hypothesis, Sheldon is revealed to have suspected a mysterious cloud to be following him around town, and North Korean spies to be stealing his doodles (going as far as placing GPS trackers in his garbage). These two examples in particular showcase Sheldon's ideas of reference.

* Odd beliefs or magical thinking that influences behavior and is inconsistent with subcultural norms (e.g. superstition, belief in clairvoyance, telepathy, "sixth sense", or bizarre fantasies or preoccupations)

Sheldon Cooper believes that one day robots will rise up against the human race, telepathy is possible, he has the ability to blow up a human head, the Force is a real binding, metaphysical power in the universe, through recombinant DNA technology he can bio-engineer a griffin, and extraterrestrials can currently successfully probe humans. Furthermore, Sheldon is often preoccupied with an external private project. For example, when he was a child, he built a functional CAT scanner, attempted to construct a nuclear reactor in his garden shed to supply electricity for his town, built a deficient death ray, and constructed an armed robot. In the last 5 seasons, we have observed Sheldon trying to make his apartment a sovereign state, perfecting luminous fish, gaining proficiency in operating a loom (weaving his friends matching sarapes), learning Finnish, learning Mandarin Chinese, proposing a duplicate of Jerusalem to be constructed in the Mexican Desert (to solve the Israel-Palestine Conflict), trying to fabricate the perfect card trick with combinatorics and computer simulations, designing his own board game (Research Lab), designing 3-person chess, building a virtual presence device to extend his lifespan (by not participating in any dangerous activities), and hosting an education program on vexillology.

* Unusual perceptual experiences, including bodily illusions

When Sheldon opens his vintage Star Trek transporter collectible, he conceives his Spock collectible to be communicating with him, both when he's asleep and awake. He even participates in an argument with an otherwise inanimate object. In a contest over the ownership of an original ring prop of Peter Jackson's Lord of The Rings Trilogy, Sheldon falls asleep and dreams that he wins the contest, but goes into the bathroom to clean his toy, and realizes that his head has begun to resemble that of Gollum. In a guilt ridden dream over damaging Howard's career, Sheldon visualizes a Gorn in his apartment. In another dream, Sheldon dreams that he's being attacked by a vicious pack of Morlocks from the Time Machine.

* Odd thinking and speech (e.g. vague, circumstantial, metaphorical, or stereotyped speaking)

Sheldon often speaks with a circumstantial tone, devising analogies involving Schrödinger's Cat for everyday scenarios (e.g. Schrödinger's friendship). He is also well versed in logical fallacies and latin phrases. His speech is extremely formal for the tasks at hand, and he enjoys to integrate props into conversations. In fact, when he took the new driver's test at the DMV, he had a variety of questions pertaining to the meaning of the questions, and the invalidity of the subject matter. For example, he was puzzled by the term "car length", as it isn't a standardized unit of measure. In response to an action, he gives historical allusions to serve as precedent against an action he deems unacceptable; e.g. when his friends, troubled by personal matters, opted to surrender in a match of paintball while he was commander of the team, he asked them whether the "battle was a game to them, questioning whether battles of classical antiquity were also games to the Greeks and Romans.

* Suspiciousness or paranoid ideation

His ideas of reference are paranoid themselves, but he retains numerous paranoias and fears. Some of the fears Sheldon has gained over the years are Ornithophobia (fear of birds), Autophobia (fear of being alone), Agoraphobia (fear of unsafe places), Germophobia (fear of germs), Hypochondria (fear of having a serious illness), Mysophobia (fear of contamination), Scelerophibia (fear of burglars/criminals), Ursaphobia (fear of bears), Cynophobia, Arachnophobia (fear of spiders), Aphenphosmphobia (fear of being touched, also known as aphephobia, haphephobia, haphophobia, hapnophobia, haptephobia, haptophobia, thixophobia), Ataxophobia (fear of untidiness/disorder), and Thanatophobia (fear of death). Sheldon also thinks that chicken nuggets are human nuggets, and thought that a seafood restaurant was selling "mobster sauce", or (ad verbatim) grind up pieces of mobster (when this obviously was merely a typing mistake). When Sheldon realized that the milk carton felt lighter, he envisioned that there was a "Milk Thief" in the building.

* Inappropriate or constricted affect

* Behavior or appearance that is odd, eccentric or peculiar * Lack of close friends or confidants other than first degree relatives * Excessive social anxiety that does not diminish with familiarity and tends to be associated with paranoid fears rather than negative judgments about self.

Yours Truly, Rifasj123 (talk) 20:36, 4 August 2012 (UTC)

All very good but it constitutes original research and therefore can't be used in the article. --AussieLegend (talk) 08:11, 5 August 2012 (UTC)

I think it's interesting enough to at least prevent people or reduce the amount of people driving at sheldon having aspergers. as I've already pointed out, I share some of sheldons quirks to a lesser degree and I am dyslexic. most definitely not autistic or aspergers. various quirks simply arise out of personality traits that in turn arise from adapting to a form of learning disability. sheldon doesn't have significant difficulties in social interaction. he just has a chronic lack of experience. he clearly adapts quite well when he needs to. thanks for the additional information.Drag-5 (talk) 23:22, 28 September 2012 (UTC)

I've already commented in regard to Sheldon's supposed Aspergers, but I think the point I'm really trying to make is this: HE IS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER IN A SITUATION COMEDY. We can assign him personality traits consistent with any diagnosis you wish, but that is not to say that this is the intention of the writers - and amounts to speculation verging on fan fiction. I apologise if my tone sounds unnecessarily harsh, but I am a professional in the field of autism who encounters prejudice against the condition on a regular basis. There is already enough harmful stereotyping in the media. I would ask people not to add speculative attributes to fictional characters - at best, it implies that autism and related conditions are suitable subjects for comedy, and at worst it portrays those conditions in a negative ill-informed light. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.164.54.136 (talk) 22:17, 16 October 2012 (UTC)

Clean yet?

I've removed about 8mb of useless information from this page. Is it suitable for the 'overly detailed' tag to be removed yet? Indiasummer95 (talk) 19:05, 31 August 2012 (UTC)

shouldn't the old info have been archived ant not totally deleted? Did some wiki convention for talk pages change, because it's my understanding that info on talk pages should never be totally deleted unless it's copyvio.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.183.113.3 (talk • contribs) 05:20, 1 December 2012‎ (UTC)

Indiasummer95 was talking about these edits to the article, not edits to the talk page. --AussieLegend (✉) 10:42, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

ah. Understood. I thought the "this" was in reference to the talk page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.183.113.3 (talk) 03:40, 4 December 2012 (UTC)

Untitled

is Sheldon Cooper OCD or OCPD? know the difference, please. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.60.205.2 (talk) 11:04, 23 November 2012 (UTC)

Simple: Sheldon Cooper is whatever Bill Prady and/or Chuck Lorre (the creators of The Big Bang Theory) say he is. One thing Sheldon is not, though, is a real person (hint...). -- Skysmurf  (Talk) 11:17, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

The grammar on this page is poorly done.

Please fix the grammar errors.

Most of the problems are run-on or comma-splice errors.

But this sentence is a special kind of nightmare.

"The only member of his family to have encouraged his work in science was his grandfather, who died while he was still a child and is the cause of a huge grudge that he holds against Santa Claus, when he wished that his grandfather was brought back to life."

The first question I had while reading that particular sentence was, "If Sheldon's grandfather died while he was still a child then how was Sheldon ever born?".

By the end of that particular sentence my left eye actually began to twitch a bit.

If you're going to try and sound informed on a subject it would be a good idea to make sure you can effectively communicate your thoughts.

JexterMaxim (talk) 05:48, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

What's stopping you from fixing it, exactly? 173.74.35.129 (talk) 08:05, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

Edit request

After seeing the most recent episode (The Proton Displacement), I believe Bill Nye should be added to Sheldons list of restraining orders. As I don't think Bill Nye is really a hero of Sheldon's, I suggest that rather than just adding him to the list, you mention it afterwards, for example:

REPLACE: Sheldon has restraining orders from his heroes Leonard Nimoy, Carl Sagan, and Stan Lee.

WITH: Sheldon has restraining orders from his heroes Leonard Nimoy, Carl Sagan, and Stan Lee, as well as television scientist Bill Nye. Hoefsten (talk) 08:47, 10 November 2013 (UTC)

Done Thanks, Celestra (talk) 03:53, 13 November 2013 (UTC)

Sheldon Lee Glashow

Sheldon Lee Glashow is a theoretical physicist and Nobel price winner and surprisingly has the same first and second name as Sheldon Lee Cooper, a theoretical physicist and potential Nobel price candidate. Is there really no connection between these two? --2003:63:2F14:6E00:ACFC:EE9B:D5E2:A708 (talk) 18:41, 7 November 2013 (UTC)

Oh, and they both work on the same field of theoretical physics, the grand unification of theories. --2003:63:2F14:6E00:ACFC:EE9B:D5E2:A708 (talk) 18:44, 7 November 2013 (UTC)

According to Bill Prady, Sheldon and Leonard were named after Sheldon Leonard and Sheldon was also named after Leon Cooper. --AussieLegend (✉) 18:49, 7 November 2013 (UTC)

I can't speak spain, but es:Sheldon_Lee_Glashow mentions Sheldon Cooper, and es:Sheldon_Cooper mentions Sheldon Lee Glashow, so I'm not the only one finding this notable. --2003:63:2F14:6E00:3DFD:C101:6C5B:AB71 (talk) 07:38, 8 November 2013 (UTC)

That would be a problem for the Spanish Wikipedia editors. Prady has said who Sheldon was named for. At best, the resemblance to Glashow is coincidental. --AussieLegend (✉) 13:17, 8 November 2013 (UTC)

I can speak Spanish. I've checked the articles you've pointed out, and I've concluded a few things.

The Spanish article for Sheldon Lee Glashow no longer mentions Sheldon Cooper. It used to mention, before that reference was deleted. (Thank you, Aussie!) When it did, it said "Como curiosidad, el nombre del personaje de ficción Sheldon Cooper en la serie de televisión The Big Bang Theory fue tomado combinando el nombre de Sheldon Lee Glashow y Leon N. Cooper", which means "Out of curiosity, the name of the fictional character Sheldon Cooper in the TV series The Big Bang Theory was chosen by combining the name of Sheldon Lee Glashow and Leon N. Cooper", but that claim has no reference. And it's poorly written, in terms of grammar.

In the Spanish article for Sheldon Cooper, you can read "Su nombre se debe a Sheldon Leonard, un actor y productor de televisión, aunque también se puede deber a Sheldon Lee Glashow, Premio Nobel de Física en 1979 por sus contribuciones a la teoría electrodébil y al modelo estándar de la física de partículas (Glashow es famoso por ser escéptico respecto la teoría de cuerdas, precisamente el campo que investiga Sheldon en la serie)", meaning "His name is due to Sheldon Leonard, an actor and TV producer, although it may also be due to Sheldon Lee Glasgow, a Physics Nobel Prize [laureate] in 1979 for his contributions to the electro-weak theory and to the standard model of the physics of particles (Glashow is famous for being sceptic respect the string theory, precisely the field that investigates Sheldon in the series)". This sentece also seems to be grammatically poorly written (Wow! I've only read two sentences in the Spanish Wikipedia—ever!—and both have bad grammar! Hmm... We're getting a good start on this...), but it doesn't make such a certain claim, and presents more doubt. It's even followed by the "citation needed" tag.

So, there's no certainty. Let's stay with what the producers have said, and leave that poorly written Wikipedia alone! :) -- Sim(ã)o(n) * ^{Wanna talk?} _{See my} efforts? 14:40, 26 November 2013 (UTC)

sheldon cooper

I was wondering where sheldon cooper's character from the big bang theory from. He makes references in the show that he is from a small town in East Texas, but in your article it says his character is from Galveston, how can that be since Galveston is South Texas and no where near East Texas. Brian Parker 12/5/2013 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.135.149.111 (talk) 01:53, 6 December 2013 (UTC)

According to the article, he mentions that he's from Galveston in the episode "The White Asparagus Triangulation". That's the source cited for support. —C.Fred (talk) 02:01, 6 December 2013 (UTC)

Schooling

Does the show ever state where Sheldon received his undergraduate and graduate degrees? Czolgolz (talk) 00:25, 7 October 2013 (UTC)

The article states that he got his Ph.D from MIT - however in the episode "The Scavenger Vortex", he derides Howard for having gone to MIT... The Thieving Gypsy (talk) 21:19, 13 February 2014 (UTC)

Influence from Adrian Monk's character

There seems to be considerable similarities in the behavioral traits of Sheldon Cooper and Adrian Monk from the Monk TV series. Have the creators ever acknowledged Monk's character influencing Sheldon's personality? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.242.208.69 (talk) 10:10, 16 April 2014 (UTC)

Well, I don't know that character or that series. But I doubt the creators will have thought of him. If you find a reliable source stating that, you can mention that in the article; otherwise, you can't. -- Sim(ã)o(n) * ^{Talk to me!} _{See my} efforts! 18:59, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

Atheist?

Since when was it revealed that Sheldon is an atheist? If it was revealed, in what episode? Jackninja5 (talk) 13:10, 9 September 2014 (UTC)

If you look at the word "atheist" in the infobox, you will see two footnote numbers right after it... Mezigue (talk) 14:03, 9 September 2014 (UTC)

Sheldon's religious leanings have been the subject of discussion in the past. He is best described as irreligious, per the main article. It's inconsistent to describe him as atheist here and irreligious at the main article. --AussieLegend (✉) 15:00, 9 September 2014 (UTC)

Oh. Thanks guys. To be honest, he does seem atheistic :P Jackninja5 (talk) 09:00, 13 September 2014 (UTC)

Sc.D. ?

What's the source for this? Where was it awarded by?

A Doctor of Science (as opposed to a mere doctorate) is a rare qualification and almost never granted to someone of this age. If Sheldon does have one (scriptwriter's whim, anything could happen) it would be quite exceptional, thus worth expanding upon. Andy Dingley (talk) 19:18, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

The qualification comes from an episode in which Sheldon began speaking at a conference by saying "I'm Dr. Sheldon Cooper, BS, MS, MA, PhD, and ScD. OMG, right?" I don't think it has ever been expanded upon. --AussieLegend (✉) 15:07, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

References

Synesthesia

The synesthesia section was removed because an editor thought it original research, but the WP page on the subject, it seems to me, clearly indicates that Sheldon is a synesthete based upon his statements in the episode referenced. I believe it should be readded to the article. Alan (talk) 07:14, 11 January 2016 (UTC)

At least two editors actually felt that the section was infringing on OR. At least one of those editors (me) also felt that - like a lot of the content added to this entry - the new information ran afoul of WP:UNDUE. This seems like trivial information that received a brief mention in one episode (and even then, it was not mentioned by name - which is part of the OR issue). I wouldn't be in favor of adding this type of information to the entry until it receives some significant third-party coverage. I note that the WP entry on synesthesia has only received three edits this month, and it does not contain any information about this character or his statements. Even if that entry were a reliable source, I think we would run into problems with WP:SYNTH by trying to make the info fit Sheldon. EricEnfermero (Talk) 09:06, 11 January 2016 (UTC)

Synesthesia does not mention Sheldon Cooper and, in any case, Wikipedia articles cannot be used as references. All content added to Wikipedia must be verifiable, that is, anyone must be able to check that it comes from a reliable source. Wikipedia editors are not reliable sources and so the addition is original research. I also support EricEnfermero's assertion of [{WP:UNDUE]]. --AussieLegend (✉) 12:00, 11 January 2016 (UTC)

Request for Comments

There is an RfC on the question of using "Religion: None" vs. "Religion: None (atheist)" in the infobox on this and other similar pages.

The RfC is at Template talk:Infobox person#RfC: Religion infobox entries for individuals that have no religion.

Please help us determine consensus on this issue. --Guy Macon (talk) 20:28, 23 April 2015 (UTC)

Sorry, but I can't follow the instructions for using or finding the RfC, so I'll just make my comments here. I have seen many episodes of BBT, and can recall no scene in which Sheldon actually and unambiguously states his opinion regarding the existence of God. In the absence of such evidence, I would have to assume that he is not an Atheist. Obviously he has been raised by a Fundamentalist Christian mother, and is familiar with biblical references. Perhaps Sheldon would be termed an Agnostic, but apparently of the sort who hasn't, as far as we know, given the matter much thought. In other words, in Fundamentalist terminology, he "knows about" God, but doesn't necessarily "know" God.

So, if there are to be "infobox entries for individuals that have no religion", I suggest that Dr. Cooper not be included. Terry Thorgaard (talk) 16:25, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

This RfC was archived to Template talk:Infobox person/Archive 28#RfC: Religion infobox entries for individuals that have no religion in August 2015, 2 months after it had closed. --AussieLegend (✉) 17:23, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

Picture is distracting

The image used in the box is distracting and unclear to unfamiliar readers because he's sitting on a film prop seen in only one episode. I can imagine readers asking "so what's that machine he made?". I will be bold and upload a clearer portrait Benjamin K. Stern (talk) 17:57, 24 March 2017 (UTC)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the image. The caption explains the image, which has been in the article for 9 years, and nobody has ever raised concerns with it, or expressed confusion. --AussieLegend (✉) 18:22, 24 March 2017 (UTC)

New series impact on article

Now that this character appears in two series, some of the text in this article needs to be updated regarding the assumption that any statement applies to Cooper's appearance in TBBT. For example, saying "In the TV show..." or "In the series ..." is now problematic if earlier in the same paragraph TBBT was not mentioned. Even the INFOBOX might be problematic as two actors (will) have played the role. RobP (talk) 12:01, 11 August 2017 (UTC)k

If the differences between the two become significant, there is no reason we can't create another article for the young version. --AussieLegend (✉) 12:13, 11 August 2017 (UTC)

About Cooper, NOT Parsons...

"On July 16, 2009, Jim Parsons was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.[83] He was nominated again...."

Again and again.... And again and again.... What does any of that have to do with Sheldon Cooper? Should we put Jim Parsons in charge of NASA then? President perhaps? ...Merge the two articles; Cooper & Parsons? CHEESH!
--2602:306:CFCE:1EE0:4432:55D:B636:8FF0 (talk) 01:39, 11 August 2018 (UTC)Doug Bashford

He won them because of his portrayal of Sheldon so it does have something to do with the article. It looks like it is mentioned a lot because Parsons has won four times.--5 albert square (talk) 02:54, 11 August 2018 (UTC)

Has something to do with the article?...yes, so does Hollywood and a zillion other things. You seem to miss the point. Do you understand that the storyline where Leonard Nemoy had to get a restraining order against Sheldon for confusing the actor with his character was just one of many points illustrating that Sheldon has handicapping mental and personality disorders?

(Frankly, I don't think much of Hollywood for so mercilessly ridiculing the handicapped and his disabilities. They seem to think it's OK because the poor guy is "a genius." Ha ha. Would it be OK to ridicule (make fun of) of a blind person's handicap if he was smart? What if he was wealthy, would it be OK then? Who ridiculed Stephen Hawking's handicaps? Nor am I happy about the Hollywood habit of portraying the gifted as dysfunctional (and as a despicable person in this case).)

But my point is not that Jim Parsons is mentioned, but that that section; "Reception and legacy" is mostly about him, of 500 words only 61 words go to Cooper. (There is a reason the asteroid 246247 Sheldoncooper was named after Sheldon, NOT Parsons, ...etc.) Again, the article is about the fictional character Cooper, NOT Jim Parsons, and NOT about the actual show. So why does the article mention Parsons 27 times?   27!?   Just because Sheldon is often helplessly biased and irrational, does not mean Wikipedians should be. Cheers!
--2602:306:CFCE:1EE0:3044:A2C3:2683:987B (talk) 12:48, 24 August 2018 (UTC)Doug Bashford

Penny in every episode?

Re this edit claiming that Penny appeared in every episode of TBBT. According to The Big Bang Theory (season 4) she missed two episodes when Kaley Cuoco broke her leg. However, as Wikipedia isn't a reliable source (nor is IMDB), and as the episodes aren't specified, I'm not sufficiently confident to revert. Eric Pode lives (talk) 23:25, 20 January 2020 (UTC)

I have reverted that change as it is based on imdb, which is most definitely not a reliable source. The information is detailed in the relevant season articles. When she returned after the two episode absence, she was put behind the bar at the Cheesecake Factory to hide her leg. --AussieLegend (✉) 06:25, 21 January 2020 (UTC)

Political affiliation

In season 2 episode 16 of Young Sheldon, Sheldon expresses support for communism, is his political affiliation notable enough to be included in this article? Has he expressed any other political views? Faissaloo (talk) 12:39, 13 April 2020 (UTC)