Flat Earth Society

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I guess I knew these people existed but thought they were just having fun. Of course on the internet you can meet anyone. So I am wondering. Does anyone here believe the Earth is flat or know anyone who does?
 
I knew one many years ago. Kinda lost track of them over the years.

But hey, The Flat Earth society has members all around the globe.

Their Web site is a really fun read. Some of the answers are highly innovative.
 
I watched a documentary about them and some of the infighting within the movement. There was this man bouncing a pingpong ball on a rubber mallet while they interviewed him. He said it was part of his brain training. I feel silly that my first reaction was ooh I should be doing that, I bet he’s really smart, because everything he said from that part on was…less impressive.
 
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I saw that documentary too. I came from it away firmly convinced that the earth is… round.
But, then again, I had never really doubted that.
 
I think Flat Earth-ing is a form of elaborate performance art.
Like Chick Tracts.
Or the people who claim to like Circus Peanut Candies.

Simply not credible.
 
I actually like Circus Peanuts! 😊
At least I did when I was a kid, don’t think I could stomach them now.😉
 
i know two people who purchased some sort of device from Russia. It was built for the sole purpose of catching souls at death. They are firm believers in this and paid $$$$$ for their machine that goes bing! And they are professed atheists.
 
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StephieNorthCo said:
I knew one many years ago. Kinda lost track of them over the years.

But hey, The Flat Earth society has members all around the globe.

Their Web site is a really fun read. Some of the answers are highly innovative.
Click to expand...
Do they realise they have members are all around the globe 🤔
 
I did learn a few things. Like you can’t detect the curvature of earth until you are about 35 miles altitude. The international Space Station is about 250 miles up there and there is an app to help you know when it is visible in your area. And the horizon looks flat because it is such a small circle around the observer compared to the size of the Earth.

 
I thought they were all just having some fun. But some actually believe.
 
I think that the Flat Earth Society is just an extreme example of where a certain type of attitude and thinking (possibly caused by mental illness) can take you.

There’s first the anti-science aspect of it. We see elements of that to at least some extent in denial of evolution, denial of anthropogenic climate change, the anti-vaccine movement, and the anti-GMO movement. Heck, even groups not inherently wrong may have their pseudoscientific fringes (e.g. vegetarians).

Then there’s the allure of being privy to some secret knowledge about lies that have duped much of mankind. Not only does it appeal to one’s pride, but it also often ends up creating some clear-cut evil that’s separate from one’s self and is theoretically defeatable, perhaps with the knowledge that the person possesses. Even if not, there’s the sense captured in Helloween’s song Kill It: “People never wonder how the world goes 'round. They who know must follow. They who don’t die bound.” Ramblings aside, we even have people who have made careers out of duping these people.

And finally there’s the people who almost seem to think experience and knowledge are a sign of proud elitism. This of course contributes to the above two (sort of ironically when you think about it). I myself was even called “condescending” because I had the nerve to point out to someone that I was speaking from first-hand experience and they weren’t.

Overall, these factors can lead to weird places. It may not always lead to Flat Earth Society levels of…pitiful…but I’m pretty sure if you spend enough time around these forums, you’ll find the same elements around here just coming to less extreme conclusions (normally).

Edit: I realize now that this post is a bit serious for Casual Discussion, so here’s a funny picture to lighten the mood:
 
To add to that, the “experts” are sometimes revealed to be wrong.
Or, the thinking about a topic changes as more information is added.
Or sometimes those in authority are caught out doing unethical things on purpose.
Also that even even intelligent thought leaders can be swayed by bias and fad (eugenics was fully embraced by all the hip, cool forward-thinking people until a little event known as the Holocaust occurred).

And unfortunately, labels like “anti-science” and “anti-intellectual” get flung about to discredit anybody you don’t like. Neither phrase really means anything, but nobody likes to be called names, either.

So yeah, I can understand why people would be leery of trusting the experts.
 
Every story has 6 sides to it. I’m a Cubist and believe that the Earth is a cosmic cube. The Flat Earth Theory is simply Preposterous.

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Yes, I agree!
I love a good conspiracy theory (Paul is Dead being my favorite) but, in general, it does seem that we, as humans with a fallen nature, have a tendency to fall into rigid, extremist kind of thinking.
The most interesting thing about that flat earth documentary for me was how people could deny the truth that was right in front of them. When the “flat-earthers” conducted tests to try to prove flat earth theory, but ended up proving that the earth was round, it never changed their mind. They would just become more determined to find an experiment that would prove what they already believed to be true. Fascinating!
 
I just started Fr. Rutler’s new book, Grace & Truth. He says (I’m paraphrasing) that every virtue is the “golden mean” between two extremes, e.g. great generosity is the mean between extravagance and miserliness, courage is the mean between bravado and cowardliness.
Very interesting and a good reminder that “extremism” in any area of thinking can be dangerous.
 
This is way, way off subject except it involves something flat. When I was a kid (about 55 years ago) there was a cookie kind of like a fig newton except it was flat and the doe part was more firm. I have not seen them since.

Does anyone know what I am talking about?
 
Hey, you originated the thread. You get to decide where it goes.

Two types I remember…
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The first has fruit … figs, preserves etc inside. The second has the fruit as open face. Mom used to make both types periodically.
 
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