Forget the semantics. Pluto should still be called a planet because it was called so historically. Let it stand as an illustration of the discovery process.
You don't see lawyers getting mad every time someone uses the term "relevant" incorrectly. They aren't phoning the dictionary people to say that the lawyer definition should trump common understanding and meaning.
The giant squid was once the biggest squid. Then came what we now know as the colossal squid. Technically, the word "giant" should only be applied to the biggest. But nobody seriously wanted to rename the giant squid. So they came up with a "colossal" exception to the rule. Sentimental attachment has value.
"Killer Whales" may not be whales (they are big dolphins) but nobody is our there correcting every mention of the term or going on John Stewart to lecture us on why we aren't using a scientific term in exactly the same manner as scientists do in papers. Whale biologists, despite following the most elevated of all scientific disciplines, still have that sense of humility so lacking amongst astronomers.
You don't see lawyers getting mad every time someone uses the term "relevant" incorrectly. They aren't phoning the dictionary people to say that the lawyer definition should trump common understanding and meaning.
The giant squid was once the biggest squid. Then came what we now know as the colossal squid. Technically, the word "giant" should only be applied to the biggest. But nobody seriously wanted to rename the giant squid. So they came up with a "colossal" exception to the rule. Sentimental attachment has value.
"Killer Whales" may not be whales (they are big dolphins) but nobody is our there correcting every mention of the term or going on John Stewart to lecture us on why we aren't using a scientific term in exactly the same manner as scientists do in papers. Whale biologists, despite following the most elevated of all scientific disciplines, still have that sense of humility so lacking amongst astronomers.