Reply #29: The only halfway decent argument I've seen for "yes" is the poster [View All]

[Warren DeMontague]

who said "it should be grandfathered in".

Beyond that, I think it's GOOD for people to realize that the models and maps they were given in grade school of how the Solar System and the Universe are set up may be outdated and in need of updating. Far, far too many people in this country are blissfully unaware of how science works, and it shows - for instance, in the seemingly widespread belief that "the jury is still out" on Evolution and Global Warming. Science doesn't operate on popularity contests. For instance, if most people want the genesis account of creation to be true, that doesn't make it any more valid.. Same with Pluto. The fact that people are attached to the idea of Pluto as a planet doesn't change the vast amounts of information we've learned in recent years about the Kuiper belt and related objects.

Look, "planet" is kind of an arbitrary definition- but I think this discussion is educational because it causes (forces?) some folks to realize that our solar system -and our universe- is far more complex than they may have previously understood, and it should ideally remind -or teach- folks about how science works; namely, by constantly updating explanations, theories, and maps of reality as new data comes in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuiper_belt