What experiments do flat earthers prove they are right and how the need for the support of other people helped develop the Flat Earth Society
The progress of science and technology does not exclude the conspiracy picture of the world. On the contrary, the more complex the world becomes, the higher the demand for simplified models of its explanation. The theme of space is no exception. Much of what has to do with it is shrouded in rumors, speculation and myths.
We have selected the most tempting conspiracy theories about space since its exploration. They work on the same principles as any other conspiracy theory – they exploit the imperfections of human thinking. How exactly this happens, we briefly analyze for each of the theories. Read also:
- Who was the first to fly into space.
- How do stories of contact with aliens appear.
- Why do many people not believe in the landing of Americans on the moon.
The earth is actually flat
Spoiler: The earth is not a perfect sphere. It is flattened at the poles due to rotation around its axis, and the heights of the continents differ. In geodesy and astronautics, the figure of the Earth is usually described as an ellipsoid of revolution or geoid
The Flat Earth Society did not appear 2 years ago, as one might think, but simultaneously with the development of astronautics, in 000. Its founder, Samuel Shelton, called the scientific evidence for the earth’s spherical shape “dogmatic”. He believed that there was not enough evidence to support such conclusions. When he was shown pictures of the Earth from space, he predictably called them a fake and declared everyone who did not agree with his views as participants in the conspiracy. After Shelton’s death, the society was headed by Charles Johnson. Under his leadership, by 1956 the organization had grown to 2001 members.
Then the internet came into play. It allowed ideas to spread and people to connect like never before. Today, flat earth groups exist all over the world. They believe that the Earth is a disk with the north pole in the middle. At the edges of the disk is Antarctica, which is actually a huge ice wall guarded by NASA so that no one will know the truth. Such a peculiar mixture of “Game of Thrones” and “The Truman Show”.
You only need to trust your eyes, flat earthers say. After all, everything else, for example, space images, is part of a grandiose falsification. If the horizon looks flat, then it is.
There are enough inquisitive minds among them who conduct experiments to prove their case. For example, like this:
The scene of this experiment ends the documentary Behind the Curve. One of the flat earthers himself demonstrates that the Earth is round.
Why do they believe it
- The complexity of the world
The amount of knowledge and complexity of the world that we have to deal with on a daily basis is only growing. And for some it becomes difficult to deal with it. Hence, there is a growing demand for explanations that simplify the world as much as possible. The conquest of space can be considered a triumph of human intelligence and a rational approach to understanding the world. The reverse side of this rationality is conspiracy thinking, in which patterns and connections are seen where there are none. This kind of thinking does not appear out of nowhere. It is based on the need to somehow explain the world around and respond to its threats.
- Need for the support of others
The story of the flat earth society from the movie Behind the Curve is a story about outcasts who are looking for support. Many of them tell how even their closest friends and family members stopped communicating with them. The only place they found support was the Flat Earth Society. To give up their strange views means for them to be rejected twice.
How conspiracy theory works
The conspiracy theory, also known as a conspiracy theory, presents the events in the world as the result of the action of certain forces, usually mysterious and very influential. Conspiracies explain both simply resonant events, such as terrorist attacks, and global processes such as managing the world. In the conspiracy picture of the world, everything is filled with intent (usually unkind) and there is a certain puppeteer who pulls the strings for his own benefit. Why this happens, we analyzed in detail in the material “Why do people believe in conspiracy theories.”
Conspiracy theorists are increasingly calling themselves not conspiracy theorists, but skeptics. Their philosophy is to doubt everything. In everything except their own mental attitudes.