In a previous post (http://definitionsinsemantics.blogspot.com/2011/11/evolution-of-definitions-problem-of.html) the topic of the IAU's 2006 redefinition of the term "planet" was discussed (see http://www.iau.org/public_press/news/detail/iau0603/). There are many topics relevant to definitions surrounding this event - one of them is the problem of authority. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the organization that came up with the new definition of "planet". Does this make it an authority? It does if we define "authority" as "a source of a definition that publishes, and administers, and supports this definition". However, the term "authority" carries emotional content also. "Authority" can imply (a) a role of active enforcement; (b) an obligation of obedience upon the body politic. These implications exist because "authority" is a term that defines many concepts, and some of them have to do with...
Various Set Of Science, Knowledge and Facts