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Detachment is a state in which a person overcomes his or her attachment to desire for things, people or concepts of the world and thus attains a heightened perspective.
Detachment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
That's the opposite of selfish.
That's just being picky, and playing semantics.
5 dictionary results for: detachment
de·tach·ment /dɪˈtætʃmənt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[di-tach-muhnt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. the act of detaching.
2. the condition of being detached.
3. aloofness, as from worldly affairs or from the concerns of others.
4. freedom from prejudice or partiality.
5. the act of sending out a detached force of troops or naval ships.
6. the body of troops or ships so detached.
[Origin: 1660–70; < F détachement. See detach, -ment]
—Synonyms 3. coolness, indifference, unconcern.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
de·tach·ment (dĭ-tāch'mənt) Pronunciation Key
n.
1. The act or process of disconnecting or detaching; separation.
2. The state of being separate or detached.
3. Indifference to or remoteness from the concerns of others; aloofness: preserved a chilly detachment in his relations with the family.
4. Absence of prejudice or bias; disinterest: strove to maintain her professional detachment in the case.
5.
1. The dispatch of a military unit, such as troops or ships, from a larger body for a special duty or mission.
2. The unit so dispatched.
3. A permanent unit, usually smaller than a platoon, organized for special duties.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
noun
1. avoiding emotional involvement [syn: withdrawal]
2. the act of releasing from an attachment or connection
3. the state of being isolated or detached; "the insulation of England was preserved by the English Channel" [syn: insulation]
4. a small unit of troops of special composition
5. coming apart [syn: separation]
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
C
American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
detachment de·tach·ment (dĭ-tāch'mənt)
n.
1. The act or process of disconnecting or detaching; separation.
2. The state of being separate or detached.
3. Indifference to or remoteness from the concerns of others; aloofness.
4. Absence of prejudice or bias; disinterest.
1. The act of detaching or separating, or the state of being detached.
2. That which is detached; especially, a body of troops or part of a fleet sent from the main body on special service.
Troops . . . widely scattered in little detachments. --Bancroft.
3. Abstraction from worldly objects; renunciation.
A trial which would have demanded of him a most heroic faith and the detachment of a saint. --J. H. Newman.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Take your pick of definitions. I think you'll find the word can be used to apply to selfish behaviour, or unselfish behaviour.