Do they really think the earth is flat?

**Maggy J** · 04-08-2008, 17:14

Yes they are still out there....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7540427.stm

**Hugh** · 04-08-2008, 17:25

Quote from some believers (from the article)

"What about all the photos from space that show, beyond a shadow of doubt, that the Earth is round? "The space agencies of the world are involved in an international conspiracy to dupe the public for vast profit," says Mr McIntyre.
John Davis also says "these photos are fake".
And what about the fact that no one has ever fallen off the edge of our supposedly disc-shaped world? Mr McIntyre laughs. "This is perhaps one of the most commonly asked questions," he says. "A cursory examination of a flat earth map fairly well explains the reason - the North Pole is central, and Antarctica comprises the entire circumference of the Earth. Circumnavigation is a case of travelling in a very broad circle across the surface of the Earth." "

punky · 04-08-2008, 17:27

Funnily enough I was thinking about this the other day when I was listening to Bad Religion - Flat Earth Society. Do people still believe that? Its so easy to disprove. You don't need a government agency to start flying in one direction and realise you'll eventually end up back in the same place.

Reading the article though, it strikes me that these people are much the same as the 9/11 deniers (Loose Change, etc). These people believe in conspiracies because they want to. Facts or points don't come to into it. If they didn't believe in this, it would be Roswell or HIV-based government population control.

bmxbandit · 04-08-2008, 17:40

Topologically speaking, you could consider the earth to be flat...

Have these people never been in a plane? Even from somewhere like the top of Blackpool Tower, it's blindingly obvious that they're wrong. Also, the amount of science they must implicitly disregard due to this faulty assumption, is staggering.

downquark1 · 04-08-2008, 17:49

There are any number of denialist organisations out there such as, moon hoaxers, vaccine protesters, global warming denialists, free energy "cultists", anti-evolutionists etc. There's even one that believes oil boils up from the centre of the earth in limitless quantities ("up yours", laws of physics).

Why do they do it? Who knows. Maybe they truly believe it, maybe because its cool to be rebellious and fight the establishment.

**Russ** · 04-08-2008, 17:52

Actually a flat earth notion conforms to some historical teachings. I don't think we should rule it out.

**Hugh** · 04-08-2008, 17:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russ B

Actually a flat earth notion conforms to some historical teachings. I don't think we should rule it out.

Russ, you forgot the

**Russ** · 04-08-2008, 17:55

Heh, glad you didn't take it seriously - although some did

**Hugh** · 04-08-2008, 18:23

You little scamp........

**Russ** · 04-08-2008, 18:23

Admit it, you wanted me to be serious

**Hugh** · 04-08-2008, 19:21

Nah - I just thought you were baiting a hook, to see who bit..........

Anonymouse · 04-08-2008, 20:10

Pathetic. Utterly pathetic. It was a plausible theory a few thousand years ago, when it wasn't possible to see the whole of the world, but now...no. There is simply no excuse for believing such claptrap.

Or perhaps they don't really believe it but want us to think they do, for some weird irrational reason. Attention seeking? Ignore them and they surely must, eventually, go away.

downquark1 · 04-08-2008, 20:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anonymouse

Or perhaps they don't really believe it but want us to think they do, for some weird irrational reason. Attention seeking? Ignore them and they surely must, eventually, go away.

Well, that would probably work with flat earthers. It doesn't seem to work with the others I've mentioned, Free energy scams still get reported in the papers as "scientific breakthroughs" and well global warming is global warming.

Anyway that's another thread.

ZrByte · 04-08-2008, 20:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by downquark1

There are any number of denialist organisations out there such as, moon hoaxers, vaccine protesters, global warming denialists, free energy "cultists", anti-evolutionists etc. There's even one that believes oil boils up from the centre of the earth in limitless quantities ("up yours", laws of physics).

Why do they do it? Who knows. Maybe they truly believe it, maybe because its cool to be rebellious and fight the establishment.

I'm not sure that one I highlighted should be counted in with the others. Though there is no denying that the Earth appears to be warming there isn't as much evidence as people think that its down to any human involvement.

downquark1 · 04-08-2008, 20:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZrByte

I'm not sure that one I highlighted should be counted in with the others. Though there is no denying that the Earth appears to be warming there isn't as much evidence as people think that its down to any human involvement.

I'm not getting into an argument, it's not my field and I've not looked into it. There is a lot of misinformation and denialism on both sides. But the consensus is that its happened and could probably be our fault.

The greater issue (in my mind) is oil conservation and I think the petrol prices demonstrate that as well as I could.