Comments on: Outcast Planet

By: Doug

Doug — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 07:15:46 +0000

Hey Bob, since I was one of the 2 “respondents” here, I guess I’m lumped in with Pluto as “way off” eh?

You’re right about the politics of it. But politics has everything to do with everything. If I could control definitions, I’d rule the solar system….Good thing I don’t - everyone would be mad at me, ’cause I’d have it all wrong in short order.

Pluto’s not going anywhere - else. And people in Alaska understand about places that are cold, dark, and far from Washington DC. So we’re not too concerned.

Thanks for the comment. Timeliness is not a priority.

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 05:00:23 +0000

Both of your respondants are way off. Did they read what you just wrote?

Brad: It’s not a lesson in definitions. It’s a definition of politics. Pluto got screwed, and the kids know it. Pluto is now like Rudolf. It’s a regect. Everyone loves it.

Doug: That’s a really nice lesson for young kids. But if you use that for a lesson on Pluto, you lose a great story.

Sorry about the delayed response. Great post.

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 20:16:27 +0000

So, explaining this news to young kids suggests a lesson in which they have to set up names and criteria for categorizing groups of related things… Something like that.

By: Brad Hoge

Brad Hoge — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 19:59:18 +0000

It is an interesting intro to the idea of classification in general, I think. I’m always surprised to find students who think our imposed classification schemes mark real concrete dividing lines in nature. There are no lines to draw, nature is continuous. Even in species, it’s hard to draw clear lines between many. The lesson is that any classification system is an imposed set of definitions so that we can make better sense of all the information we have and use it better to search for questions we haven’t asked yet.