The Number of Continents is Socially Dependent

Did you know the number of continents is socially dependent? (What do I mean by socially dependent? Sometimes this is referred to as culturally biased, but I’m biased against the word “biased.”) We all understand that your language, lifestyle, health & longevity, and beliefs system (among many other things) are dictated in large part by your where and when you are born. True, your life experiences will have a lot to do with these as well, but even your life experiences are impacted by where and when you are born. But did you know that where and when you are born determines your understanding of “facts”?

Understandably, spirituality is regarded as truth, or fact, by those who ascribe to each religion, and I am not here to debate anyone’s spirituality. I am simply referring to “facts” we find in our science textbooks. For example, the number of continents is a matter of opinion. I had always been taught, as sure as the earth revolves around the sun (just ask Galileo), there are seven continents. Then about fifteen years ago I had the opportunity to work with college-aged people from all over the world in Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Center. One day while speaking with my co-workers from Mexico they mentioned the five continents.

“Five?” I asked, “Don’t you mean seven?”

“Seven? No, there are only five: Europe, Africa, America, Asia, and Australia.”

“What about Antarctica?” I asked, “And North America and South America?”

Their answer opened my eyes, not so much for the answer itself, but their reasoning behind it. Why is Antarctica considered a continent and not the Arctic? What differentiates North America from South America? And although I had points I could argue about both, what I realized is that my arguments could be boiled down past “facts” and into nothing more than my beliefs – beliefs I had been taught as “facts” because of where and when I was born. But the beliefs that they built their “facts” upon were no less valid. In the end we had to agree to disagree.

But what I also realized was that things I knew as “fact” were just educated opinions; not necessarily right, yet not wrong either. I often look back on this lesson when I “know” other things but someone voices a conflicting “fact.” (This goes along way toward looking through other people’s lenses.)

Apparently the number of planets in our solar system is socially dependent too? But if Pluto is not a planet then what did My Very Educated Mother Just Serve Us Nine of?