Flat-Earth theory – Why such views are increasingly taking hold and how the physics community should best respond (physicsworld.com)

submitted 2 days ago by AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works to c/longreads@sh.itjust.works

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The idea that the Earth is a sphere was all but settled by ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle (384–322 BC), who obtained empirical evidence after travelling to Egypt and seeing new constellations of stars. Eratosthenes, in the third century BC, became the first person to calculate the circumference of the Earth. Islamic scholars made further advanced measurements from about the 9th century AD onwards, while European navigators circled the Earth in the 16th century. Images from space were final proof, if any were needed.

Today’s flat-Earth believers are not, though, the first to doubt what seems unquestionable. The notion of a flat Earth initially resurfaced in the 1800s as a backlash to scientific progress, especially among those who wished to return to biblical literalism. Perhaps the most famous proponent was the British writer Samuel Rowbotham (1816–1884). He proposed the Earth is a flat immovable disc, centred at the North Pole, with Antarctica replaced by an ice wall at the disc’s outer boundary.

The International Flat Earth Research Society, which was set up in 1956 by Samuel Shenton, a signwriter living in Dover, UK, was regarded by many people as merely a symbol of British eccentricity – amusing and of little consequence. But in the early 2000s, with the Internet now a well-established vehicle for off-beat views, the idea began to bubble up again, mostly in the US. Discussions sprouted in online forums, the Flat Earth Society was relaunched in October 2009 and the annual flat-Earth conference began in earnest.

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[-] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de -2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

“It’s not really an education thing,” she says. “It really is about distrusting authorities and institutions. [It] seems to be based on both a conspiracy mentality and a deeply held belief that looks a lot like religiosity but isn’t necessarily specifically tied to a religion”.

[...] Their lack of trust in authority includes not just scientists but scientific bodies such as NASA, all of whom (they think) are part of a massive conspiracy to prevent the flat-Earth truth being revealed. “[They] view the world through this really dark filter where [they] assume that all authorities and institutions and corporations are just there to exploit you.”

Yeah that really resonates with me, an anarchist. You can't trust authorities, you have to find out things your own way. Especially this part:

Oddly, Landrum says that many flat-Earthers may distrust scientists, but they are not against the scientific method. “The majority of them put a lot of faith, for lack of a better word, in science. There’s a lot of curiosity and a lot of scepticism and a lot of the really good qualities that make scientists.”

how the physics community should best respond

These people haven't hurt anyone. Why won't you just let them believe what they want to believe?

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[-] allo@sh.itjust.works -1 points 1 day ago

gawd i love Cunk. best series's i just watched. i love not taking this stuff too seriously. like why would anyone, on any side, take this seriously. just laugh and enjoy life.

[-] allo@sh.itjust.works -3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

If you keep slightly rotating yourself as you go around the Earth, and are personally measuring from your perspective, the Earth is overall flat isn't it? Just like how doing a frontflip causes the entire earth to orbit u.

[-] allo@sh.itjust.works -3 points 1 day ago

Disclaimer: I just watched Cunk on Earth and now I know the ways of science

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this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2024

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