I have to keep asking though:
- Why was this voted on by only a handful of people?
Just like any other
word in the dictionary the meanings are defined
solely by people. The word "planet" didn't come to us from God on a golden cloud. It was a word just like any other.
There are countless examples where words don't have a "hard-and-fast" strict meaning. They are used loosely. "stable", "metastable", "order", "disorder".
Here's another one that you might see every so often. SOmetimes people misuse the word "mineral". I've seen coal listed as a "mineral resource". But it is
technically incorrect to call coal a "mineral". The word "mineral" has a
very specific technical definition. It is any
naturally occuring, inorganic substance with a definite crystal structure and a defined chemical structure.
That means that coal (made up of ORGANICS) cannot be a mineral. It means that LIQUID WATER isn't a mineral but ICE is. Liquid water is not a solid. Ice is. Ice is a naturally occuring inorganic solid with definite crystal structure and definite chemical structure.
So the word "Planet" was just a vague word without a
specific technical definition.
Now here's a nice wrinkle for you, Einstien: Planet is derived from the greek
plane which means "wanderer". It was applied to "wandering stars". People long ago thought that when they looked at the sky all the little lights that didn't stay in the same place as the majority of the others were "wandering stars"
So, are you going to complain about how Pluto is
not a star?
Give me a break. You keep hashing this over and over and over and over, but I don't actually believe you read or digest anything anyone tells you about this.
Until 2006 no one had a
specific technical definition for the word "planet". That way yahoos were just as right to use it as misuse it. But when the debate started up as to classifying Eris as a planet (since it is, if I recall, larger than Pluto) the debate came to a head. This had been an issue for some time.
Finally someone acted and a meeting was called to define the word
technically.
Now I know you are not familiar with "technical accuracy" unless it has to do with some unique theology in your bible, and you assume that
the rest of the world can take a hike as to their need for technical accuracy in other endeavors, but do keep in mind, not everyone is as abysmally uninterested in science as you are.
- Why are there scientists who disagreed with changing Pluto's status?
There are people who disagree with any statement. The point is that
this is an arbitrary definition and as such will likely have dissenters on the issue.
And please, spare us the need of unanimity...Christianity as a religion is built on fractured and differing theologies varying from one sect to another.
What I see from "this side" of the science
Now, be honest, AV, your "Side" of the science is the "Science can take a hike" side. You don't technically care one whit about science unless you can think of some asinine point to try to
slag science. Your peanut gallery blather is annoying
not because you blather it, but because you blather it
so apparently disingenously. To me, it sounds like the bleating of the hypocrite.
That tells me that the "scientists" here in CF are just going along with the majority of the vote.
So do you think there is some fundamental law of nature or understanding of nature that would change if we mere shifted the "meaning" of an arbitrary word?
I've yet to see anyone tell me something like:
"Yes, AV, I see your point, and I agree with it too; but we have to follow what the IAU voted on, or we'll be left behind."
Is this good enough for you:
"Yes, AV, I see you don't understand science enough to realize that the
arbitrary defintion of an informal term doesn't amount to a serious critique of science, and even if you bothered to come up with a serious critique of science we know you don't really care about science since you repeatedly say it can 'take a hike'. "