Is there any good reason to call the solstice the first day of summer?
Psychologically, I always think of the solstice as the mid-point of the summer. It’s “midsummer’s day,” after all.
But, then, psychologically, my seasons are of extremely unequal length. Spring feels like it lasts about 50% longer than fall.
Solstice is the beginning of astronomical summer, simply by conventional definition. When you become chairman of the Astronomical Congress, you can have it changed however you like.
Bingo.
Aww, come on. We had spring this year for a change. I don’t get the people who complain about the asymmetrical seasons in Game of Thrones…I’m 35 and there’s been like 4 springs my whole life.
This seems like a very strange definition. I’d think you could easily have a few days of summer then spring again then summer, etc.
ISTR there was a master list of all the people who actually cared more about meteorological seasons than astronomical seasons, but the half sheet of paper was accidentally flushed down the toilet. 
Not to mention that 10C is only 50F - which I doubt would be considered summer anywhere except for the Arctic. Similarly, 0C (32F) is just as arbitrary, and why use the average; for agricultural purposes, a low temperature below freezing is more important; this is what I see used to determine the growing season (first and last freeze).
Yes, the concept of “seasons” arises from human experience, and the desire to describe the general weather patterns and be able to plan for the future. Our terms are baggage from western culture arising in temperate zones.
There’s no real reason the astronomical descriptions of where the Sun is in relation to the Earth has to correspond to any particular terms used to describe general weather patterns. Rather, in our attempts to define and constrain our weather pattern terms into some rational and consistent basis, we looked at what caused those patterns - the relationship between the Earth and the Sun. Then we let the scientists get all technical on their ass. (See what happened with Pluto?)
Surely, it’s the other way around? Everyone cares about whether they’re going to need to put on a jacket when they go outside, but very few people even know what the equinoces and solstices even are.
At least seasons defined by the equinoxes and solstices are an objective and global way to demarcate the seasons. IMHO, it’s the most logical way of doing so.
And why do we all need an objective, global, and logical way of demarcating seasons for all purposes?
When I was in Scotland a few months ago, I learned that summer happened one Tuesday last year.
Hehe 
To piss off subjective, localized, and arbitrary demarcations for the seasons, of course.
Nope. Zombie season.
A kind of social trolling then.
How are demarcations based on the equinoces etc. global? Even different cultures that demark based on them don’t all do it the same way: As I mentioned before, for instance, in the British Isles those days are considered to mark the middle of the seasons, not their beginnings.
Point taken.
Yet if the world needs a clock for the seasons, they are the ideal points in the earth’s orbit that are, practically, unchanging—no matter where on earth you are or what calendar one uses.
Then, the only argument to have is how to apply these points (as mentioned), and what to label the seasons.
Tell the meteorologists. They might be interested in knowing that they do it wrong.