4 ms·

My first glib reaction was something along the lines of "Sigh, first they demoted Pluto, now they're adding new continents" But in all honesty, I think this i

My first glib reaction was something along the lines of "Sigh, first they demoted Pluto, now they're adding new continents" But in all honesty, I think this is cool (and humbling). We think we're just so smart some times. That our knowledge is so black and white and factual and additive. But it's squishier than that. I'm reminded that "As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it" (Albert Einstein) We live in exciting times. Keep the discoveries coming!

JdeBP 6y ago
You might enjoy Facts I Learned At School Which Aren't True Any More at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wIZ2sp39Cc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wIZ2sp39Cc .
- awiesenhofer 6y ago
  Interesting video, can relate to quite some points. Related, the probably best list-article on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions
Sebb767 6y ago
I read an article about MySQL enums long ago and the author argued not to use them, since they're bad when values change and all values change eventually. His last sentence was that even continents change. Well, turns out he was right after all these years! :)
rob74 6y ago
The squishyness you refer to is because categorizations like what is a planet or a continent are not objective. Pluto was initially considered a planet, but when the number of similar objects discovered kept growing, astronomers had to either categorize all of them as planets or introduce a new "dwarf planet" category. Similarly, I wouldn't bet on this "missing continent" being actually accepted as a continent, but maybe they will introduce a new category for "mostly submerged pieces of crust that are thicker than oceanic crust but much thinner than continental crust" - pseudo-continents?
junippor 6y ago
You sound like those people who complain when new kingdoms of life are added :D That's just how science works. We learn things.

JdeBP 6y ago

You might enjoy Facts I Learned At School Which Aren't True Any More at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wIZ2sp39Cc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wIZ2sp39Cc .

awiesenhofer 6y ago
Interesting video, can relate to quite some points. Related, the probably best list-article on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions

Sebb767 6y ago

I read an article about MySQL enums long ago and the author argued not to use them, since they're bad when values change and all values change eventually. His last sentence was that even continents change. Well, turns out he was right after all these years! :)

rob74 6y ago

The squishyness you refer to is because categorizations like what is a planet or a continent are not objective. Pluto was initially considered a planet, but when the number of similar objects discovered kept growing, astronomers had to either categorize all of them as planets or introduce a new "dwarf planet" category. Similarly, I wouldn't bet on this "missing continent" being actually accepted as a continent, but maybe they will introduce a new category for "mostly submerged pieces of crust that are thicker than oceanic crust but much thinner than continental crust" - pseudo-continents?

junippor 6y ago

You sound like those people who complain when new kingdoms of life are added :D That's just how science works. We learn things.