Loyal theorists, readers, and curious people alike, as we near the end of the school year, this is, sadly, the last time you will be hearing from me. For this last segment, I asked fellow conspiracy theorists what they would like to consume. After much deliberation, we finally landed on the classic dilemma: Is the earth flat? This proposition is arguably very intriguing. Often called “flat-Earthers,” these people have some pretty good reasoning and strong arguments to make you question your entire existence.
People genuinely believe the earth cannot be round and must be shaped as a flat, immovable disc where the Arctic circle is in the middle and the continents surround it. Some models propose that the Earth’s edges are surrounded by a wall of ice holding in the oceans. Others suggest our flat planet and its atmosphere are encased in a huge, hemispherical snow globe from which nothing can fall off the edges. To account for night and day, most flat-Earthers think the Sun moves in circles around the Arctic circle, with its light acting like a spotlight. The Sun and Moon are 50 km in diameter and circle the disc-shaped Earth at a height of 5500 km, with the stars above this on a rotating dome.
Obviously, the best arguments are those that are seen with your own eyes. The horizon looks flat, even when you go up a mountain, and water doesn’t stick to a curved surface but instead slides down and levels out, so there is no way it can stick to a ball (aka the earth). Beyond that, airplanes don’t fly in a circle to their destination but instead travel a very straight path. Just think, if the earth is really spherical when you’re in a helicopter, you should be able to just hover in one place without moving and eventually arrive at your destination. That is not possible, so the only explanation is that the Earth is flat.
But what about gravity, you ask? Well, gravity accelerates downward, pushing down on you, specifically at 9.8 meters per second squared, which is identical to a world where gravity accelerates upwards to meet you. So when you let go of something, it isn’t that it’s accelerating downwards, the ground is actually accelerating up to meet it, suggesting that the disc is itself accelerating up at 9.8 m/s2 to give the illusion of gravity.
So, unfortunately, flat-Earthers seem to have a very low standard of evidence for what they want to believe but an impossibly high standard of evidence for what they don’t want to believe. Really, this seems true for most Americans. If you are totally interested in this flat earth business, check out Eric Dubay and Mark Sargent on YouTube and episode two of the podcast ‘Be Reasonable.’ Maybe even attend a Flat Earth Convention. Be sure to let me know when you join the 7% of the population that truly believes the earth is flat.
Information & Photo Sources: https://www.scientificamerican...