Janet D. Stemwedel (whose nom de blog is Dr. Free-Ride) is an associate professor of philosophy at San Jose State University. Before becoming a philosopher, she earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry. Email her at dr.freeride@gmail.com.
(Based on actual events.)
Younger offspring (age 4.5): (singing softly to self while arranging a line of nine grapes on breakfast plate) Nine planets, fine planets, in our solar system. Nine planets, fine planets, go ahead and list 'em ... *
Elder offspring (age 6.5): You know, in school we learned that they discovered a tenth planet. They used to call it planet X, but now they're callin' it Xena.
Younger offspring: (glowering at sibling and singing louder) NINE planets! FINE planets! In our sol-ar SYStem! NINE planets! FINE planets! Go ahead and LISTthem!
Dr. Free-Ride's better half: (from the next room) Didn't they decide Pluto is too small to be a real planet?
Dr. Free-Ride: Pluto is too a planet! It was a planet when I learned it in school, and it hasn't gotten any smaller since then!
Younger offspring: Pluto is a planet. It's in the song.
Elder offspring: Xena's a planet, too.
Younger offspring: (glower set at full strength) Xena isn't in the song.
Dr. Free-Ride: I think that song was written before they discovered Xena. (To the next room) And Pluto is definitely a planet!
Dr. Free-Ride's better half: Your education is becoming obsolete. Remember the brontosaurus?
Dr. Free-Ride: Shut up! (To younger offspring) Eat your planets.
*The lyrics to the song were very similar -- but not identical -- to those of Nine Fine Planets by John Paul Taylor, Jr. If any of my readers is familiar with this variant -- and can hook me up with the full lyrics -- I'd be much obliged!
Comments
Pluto is so not a planet! But the moon is a planet - part of the Earth-Moon double planet system. So there are still nine planets when you go ahead and list them. And you can quote me on that.
Posted by: Ian B Gibson | January 20, 2006 1:36 PM
awesome.
Posted by: JM | January 20, 2006 2:35 PM
Glad this interaction is at YOUR house. Tell the offspring to be prepared for full discussion this summer--and I'll do some research in the meantime to prepare myself. (How many of the planet/grapes got eaten before being squashed?)
While there are many "facts" from our education that should later be "refreshed" as we move through life in light of further research, having learned any body of knowledge is useful. The most important use is that we ourselves have learned how WE learn (often differently than the person at the next desk).
Once we know how to learn, it is not to hard to "refresh" the facts later, as long as the subject is still of interest to us, and as long as we are open to refreshing the information. It is when we pig-headedly defend the old learning without examing new research that we fail ourselves and society and dishonor our education.
Posted by: Super Sally | January 20, 2006 4:45 PM
Hey look, my mom commented on my blog!
Posted by: Dr. Free-Ride (Janet) | January 20, 2006 4:50 PM
Your mom is waaaaay smarter than my mom.
Posted by: JM | January 20, 2006 5:00 PM
Smarter than my mom too?
Posted by: Uncle Fishy | January 20, 2006 5:32 PM
First off, from what I can tell JM's mom is good people and not intellectually lacking at all.
That said, given that Uncle Fishy's mom is Dr. Free-Ride's mom, I think it's logically impossible for Dr. Free-Ride's mom to be smarter than Uncle Fishy's mom.
But maybe Greta and Dave at Cognitive Daily know of a way this could be true ...
(Note to self: Sprog Blogging is more likely to get my relatives to comment than anything else I might contribute on science or ethics.)
Posted by: Dr. Free-Ride (Janet) | January 20, 2006 5:42 PM
that's pretty cute. Think: they're getting debate pratice early.
Posted by: Leah | January 21, 2006 2:44 PM
Pluto too small to be a planet? Size, as they say, doesn't
matter. In my opinion the litmus test for planethood should
be whether or not it makes you think of alien invaders.
Obviously this will vary from person to person. My personal list.
Pluto: Planet
Venus: Planeter
Mars: Planetest
Earth: May or may not be a planet, depending on my
current level of paranoia.
Ceres: Not a planet. Sounds like it should be in Nebraska.
Neptune: Not a planet. I always think of the one in New Jersey.
Uranus: Not going there...
Posted by: Geardaddy | January 22, 2006 12:43 AM
Who says that size doesn't matter?
Posted by: coturnix | January 22, 2006 4:22 PM
It doesn't, Coturnix - it's the stripes that do...
Posted by: outeast | January 23, 2006 7:55 AM
You must have wandered over here from Pharyngula....
Posted by: coturnix | January 23, 2006 10:55 PM
Janet - Just want you to know Uncle Bunker's comment.....
See, that's why ALL those years I got up, showered, dressed, ate breakfast, and left for work before anyone else in the house was awake!
Posted by: GRAND Aunt Molly | January 24, 2006 8:29 AM
The so-called "10th Planet" is larger than Pluto. It's also twice as far from the Sun. It's like it wants to be a planet but the real planets won't let it.
Posted by: aussie | February 2, 2006 1:44 AM
Uncle Peter asks:
. . . nutritional question . . . do planets that are grapes have more or less antioxidants than grapes that aren't planets?
Relations come out of the woodwork to comment on the Sprog Blogs.
[If being a planet is a matter of size, and if we can assume a constant relationship between volume and amount of antioxidants, I'm guessing the grapes that are planets have more. But, I'm neither an astronomer nor a nutritionist.]
Posted by: Uncle Peter | February 9, 2006 4:22 PM
My sister's a nanny. Her four-year-old charge was excited about planet Xena because she disliked the planet song so much, and thought maybe now she'd never have to sing it.
Posted by: Rob | February 13, 2006 10:19 PM
I have been searching for that specific song for a while now. My parents had a record of learning music when I was young and that song is stuck in my head. for a few years now! Anyone know what it is yet?
something like this:
nine planets, fine planets, in our solar system.
nine planets, fine planets, see if we can list them.
first there's Mercury, closest to the Sun.
and so on...
Posted by: interested searcher | March 6, 2006 9:19 PM
Oh, I need to start paying more attention (since, as you saw, we're on the same pattern here). But how can we keep up with all this new old new knowledge?
Posted by: BRC | August 17, 2006 10:05 AM