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Originally Posted by dwnielsen
I don't think so. Mnemonics suggests certain order already inherent in language: we use base words and suffixes. Phonology, and even the idea of any kind of unified human mythos, suggests a sort of fundamental principle. For instance, "na" is an expression of negation in many independent languages. The world offers much of the same repertory of sound across the globe: the sound of birds, chopping wood, water running.
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So how does this support your idea that "the major bodies of the solar system should include figures that have had a major influence on world tradition, and attempt to maintain a sense of order and consistency"?
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Originally Posted by dwnielsen
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So you propose a continuous process of renaming?
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Sure; languages, belief systems, educational curricula, cultural identifications undergo constant change. Hopefully for the goal of improving, or at least adding interest. |
The potential for confusion seems to me to outweigh the possibility of interest, in this instance.
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Originally Posted by dwnielsen
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Of course. There's something of a cottage industry in ignoring the IAU these days. But I think your first aim must be to convince us that we should ignore them.
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The above words are in large part aiming at that. |
I understand. We just seemed to be jumping to "ignore" before we'd passed "convince".
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Originally Posted by dwnielsen
[I think you are supporting my specific argument there. If you were to throw a dart randomly at the map of excellent sea-faring people, you'd be unlikely to hit a Rapa Nui person symbol. If you were to throw a dart at a sex category representation, you'd be just as likely to hit a male or a female.
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So the languages and mythology of minorities should be neglected, as being of no consequence in the grand scheme? Setting aside the cultural bankruptcy of that argument, I need only point out that if I throw a dart at a map of religious practices, I will not strike a Venus-worshipper very frequently.
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Originally Posted by dwnielsen
Now the question becomes, Does the Rapa Nui godhead best fill an important place in the planetary pantheon sequence?
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You're begging the question. "(Dwarf) planetary names must fill an important place in the planetary pantheon sequence because that's how we choose planetary names." You've yet to demonstrate that this rule is sensible or useful.
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Originally Posted by dwnielsen
Certain other groups should most definitely also be represented where significant. One can however show that Latin is to a certain extent consistent and ordered. It has been useful for this for a long time, and has been used by the West as a common language, even to the exclusion of other excellent languages. I realize this sounds like an appeal to tradition, but it is not baseless.
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It seems baseless to me, given that we're talking about proper names, not language structure or the usefulness of a
lingua franca.
Grant Hutchison