Rant Flat-Earth-Theory

[BerZerK]

Since yesterday Sunday i heard (the first time of my life) that there are really people out there who question the shape of the earth.
That its not spherical but FLAT!

Flat Earth Theory

I know its tiring to discuss with such people, but a few videos are at least interesting to view, but of course i want to explain the backgrounds to the lesser educated and i dont want to let them be the victims of idiots...

:beathead:

maybe you ALL can help me and fill in some SERIOUS answers into these youtube comments... its heartwrenching to hear what they believe!!!

Here is the Link to the COMPLETE PLAYLIST

 

[Hielor]

“Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.”

- Mark Twain

 

[Urwumpe]

Its actually pretty simple: They are absolutely right.

But we poor fallible souls with our limited mathematical capabilities need a simplified model of a three-dimensional spherical Earth for getting things done in a lifetime.

 

[fsci123]

“Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.”

I find it fun to argue with dumber people... And interact with them in general. It's like running with the animals on a safari...or a zoo.

 

[Kyle]

I find it fun to argue with dumber people... And interact with them in general. It's like running with the animals on a safari...or a zoo.

Until one bites you in the rear.

 

[boogabooga]

I've seen these as well.

And they are so smug and confident. :rofl:

My favorite part was one that used a video of an Atlas V launch. He used the fact that the rocket was arcing over as evidence of a conspiracy, since for some reason he expected rockets to head straight up into space. But no, that clearly meant to him that NASA was deliberately crashing the rocket downrange to keep the secret that spaceflight was impossible. Little did he know that the arcing over was actually evidence for a round earth...:rofl:

Oh, and he used the temperature profile of the thermosphere to suggest that satellites could not exist without melting. I have to give it to him that he at least tried to use his head for that one, but why he choose not to instead question the temperature of the thermosphere, I do not know. However, the concept of heat-transfer in a near vacuum was lost on him.

The down side if viewing too many videos like this is that Youtube doesn't understand irony, and will flood you with suggestions of similar videos.

 

[BerZerK]

Well, i think i got their intention now. They want to encourage a general scepticism. For every thinkable problem even the seemingly easiest. And i think thats generally not a false intention. But for such in our times "obvious" cases like the earth. i think its problematic. I know a lot of easy minded not so well educated people who believe such things much too easy. Even my sister asked me once about "HAARP". I than cannot react else like :facepalm: And have to explain everything from the the veeeery start. And its tiring for every person i meet again and again.

I really feard that i meet relatives and friends in the near future who ask me if there is really something like a flat-earth... .....

 

[boogabooga]

Eh,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe's_law

I too have wondered if it was really all just parody, but hard to tell.

No, IMHO they are really just arrogant people who believe that they are smarter than everyone else on Earth.
You are giving them too much credit.

 

[BerZerK]

Poes Law Wikipedia Arcticle

In the language bar... there is no german version...

...SUSPICIOUS!!! :hmm:

 

[Gerdih]

I just checked the video... can someone explain me on a rational way why lots of americans think their goverment is continuously making conspiracies against the common people? I can understand people doesn't trust their goverment, but I really can not understand why is it so common for american people to think so extravagant strange things. No ofense, but everytime I find someone on the web talking about that its always american.

Maybe I am wrong, but the amount of people I have encountered to tend to think those things in my country is almost 0. And we have lots of reasons to hate our goverment. ( Spain )

 

[boogabooga]

I just checked the video... can someone explain me on a rational way why lots of americans think their goverment is continuously making conspiracies against the common people? I can understand people doesn't trust their goverment, but I really can not understand why is it so common for american people to think so extravagant strange things. No ofense, but everytime I find someone on the web talking about that its always american.

Maybe I am wrong, but the amount of people I have encountered to tend to think those things in my country is almost 0. And we have lots of reasons to hate our goverment. ( Spain )

Why the limitation?

 

[fsci123]

I just checked the video... can someone explain me on a rational way why lots of americans think their goverment is continuously making conspiracies against the common people? I can understand people doesn't trust their goverment, but I really can not understand why is it so common for american people to think so extravagant strange things. No ofense, but everytime I find someone on the web talking about that its always american.

Maybe I am wrong, but the amount of people I have encountered to tend to think those things in my country is almost 0. And we have lots of reasons to hate our goverment. ( Spain )

I couldve sworn the soviet union did something to increase paranoia directed towards the US.

 

[BerZerK]

Flat Earth Society

There is even something in the Wikipedia about the Flat Earth Society

Its bizarre but as i argued with those commenters on the youtube videos (in german), i began to realize, that they want to edge our senses for plausibility.
Someone sent me to a facebook group titled "If you can question earth, you can question anything". I guess its some sort of sport.
Its definitely not easy to doubt that planet earth is a sphere in 2015, but you 'can' even there find points which are "strange"
and you begin to search "how can that be".

Much harder of course it is when it comes to validate the News of "faster than light" neutrinos.
Extremely precise measurements can be right or wrong by the slightest decimal point.

Well, in the end i as "average person" i believe the "most common" scientific consens.
But after this strange tin-foil videos (i think) i also understand the problem these "Flat earthers" want us to demonstrate.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

Even stranger than the Flat-Earth people are the Hollow-Earth people. I'd really love to see an argument between the two of them, but I'm afraid my IQ would degrade exponentially just trying to follow along.

 

[Pipcard]

There's worse: the "concave Earth"

 

[Ravenous]

Conspiracy theories are a natural part of our psychology.

research link

the paper

We seek a reason in everything. We just can't believe an accident is really just an accident. Some never grow out of this stage. I suppose you could win these people over by giving them an even better reason to believe in, but just stating that they are wrong will not work.

 

[SanderBuruma]

Obviously you have not red and been enlightened by the Flat Earth Society FAQ.

We shall see the light and know the truth that is the flat earth.

 

[Ravenous]

Were you joking? It doesn't come across in your post...

EDIT: I spent a little time reading through some forum posts just to get an opinion on them, and their attitudes. Pretty astonishing!

 

[SanderBuruma]

I was joking, the earth is a spheroid for as far as I know.

 

[fsci123]

gravity doesn't exist

-Flat Earth FAQ

---------- Post added at 10:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:58 AM ----------

For fun you guys should check out their nuclear weapons debate... Some people actually seem pretty same and argue with the hardcore members. It's like the kardashian show...

http://www.theflatearthsociety.org/forum/index.php?topic=11293.0#.VW23UVL3anM