Pluto in the doghouse

[shunn]

I find myself unmoved by Pluto's demotion in planetary status, except to be glad. Schoolchildren may be mourning, or so we are told, but science is not a process of codifying public sentiment. If it were, science would still be propounding the "natural theology" of the early 19th century, and evolution would be a fringe theory.

Science is a process of modifying and refining our model of how the universe works, through repeated observation, theorizing, and experimentation. If calling Pluto a dwarf planet offers a better model of our solar system than the one it's replacing—and if you read much astronomy, this can't come as a surprise, since Pluto's planetary status has long been considered suspect—then huzzah. Science works, and I for one have a hard time crediting how anyone, let alone a little kid, could lose sleep over how we categorize a distant ball of ice.

Comments

[asphalteden.livejournal.com]

But ... but ... now it's MVEMJSUN!!!!

What the hell does that even stand for?

Johnny Mnemonic

[shunn.livejournal.com]

My Very Elegant Mother Just Served Us NOTHIN'!

[asphalteden.livejournal.com]

It really is a great big FUCK YOU to pizza loving schoolchildren everywhere.

What's next??!?! Is it gonna be ROY G BI, huh? Is that what it's gonna take when they demote "violet" to a mood, rather than a color?

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Frankly, I think it's not Violet but Indigo that needs to be watching its back. Talk about a dwarf color!

[ianrandalstrock.livejournal.com]

My thought exactly. I never could see indigo in rainbows. It's always been six to me.

[shunn.livejournal.com]

I'm with you there. I grew up convinced that "indigo" meant "invisible." I couldn't differentiate it either.

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

I read it was seven because Newton was a numerologist.

[asphalteden.livejournal.com]

May it be replaced with puce!

[shunn.livejournal.com]

I say replace Violet with Navy and Tourmaline.

ROY G BINT

this ain't a fun contest

[asphalteden.livejournal.com]

Most very evolutionarily minded journalists suffer unceasing nyctalopia?

[goreism.livejournal.com]

But Ceres got shafted, dammit. Again.

[shunn.livejournal.com]

MVEMCJSUNP?

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Btw, what is the official status of Ceres now? I keep reading different things.

[ianrandalstrock.livejournal.com]

This is the first comment I've read that makes me not unhappy that Pluto is no longer a planet. Emotionally, yeah, it's gotta be one of the nine; but you make a very valid, very compelling scientific argument. Thanks.

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Delighted to be of service! (Now if I can just get into that League of Scientists and explain why Jupiter should be renamed Bilmopia.)

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

I have nothing to say.

It is a wise man who holds his tungsten

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Fabulous icon.

Re: It is a wise man who holds his tungsten

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

Stolen from svansk, found in LJ perambulations.

[steelbrassnwood.livejournal.com]

I guess I didn't view this as a scientific discussion, since the designation "planet" is pretty arbitrary, as was demonstrated by the contortions they went through trying to formally define it. To me, it's like "continent" or "ocean" or "monkey," words that have common meanings that aren't really clearly defined. (Or perhaps like "fruit" which does have a scientific definition, which happens to include the tomato, even though nobody considers it a fruit.)

[shunn.livejournal.com]

The process of trying to formally define a planet is an attempt to make that term more useful, and therefore more scientific.

[nick-kaufmann.livejournal.com]

Plus, he's the only Disney character who can't talk, so fuck him.

[shunn.livejournal.com]

I always found that a point in his favor.