The Flat Earthers Are Still With Us

narcberry writes "The BBC reports on a scientific community still holding to flat earth theories. From their article: 'Are there any genuine flat-earthers left? Surely in our era of space exploration — where satellites take photos of our blue and clearly globular planet from space, and robots send back info about soil and water from Mars — no one can seriously still believe that the Earth is flat? Wrong. Flat earth theory is still around. On the internet and in small meeting rooms in Britain and the US, flat earth believers get together to challenge the 'conspiracy' that the Earth is round.'"

Comments

Scientific community?

[Aardpig]

Well, that's obviously not the right thing to call them...

Re:Scientific community?

[Rosy At Random]

Somehow I'm thinking the intersection of flat-earthers and creationists contains a lot of the flat-earthers.

Re:Scientific community?

[Kneo24]

I completely agree. There is no scientific basis for the "flat earth theory". None. Zero. Zilch. They can use whatever "scientific" (pseudo-science in this case) means they'd like, but that doesn't necessarily make it scientific. It is a proven fact that the Earth is round. So are other planets.

I wish people would stop calling cretins who pretend to use science as scientists. It soils the good name of science!

Re:Scientific community?

[Kneo24]

I know, replying to myself here, but I did do what's forbidden around here. I read the fucking article. These guys are god damn crack pots. The Earth is infinitely horizontal? Have they ever held a ball in their entire life? Do they have any sort of concept of perception?

What's even more irritating is that yes, they also believe the earth is circular, which sort of contradicts their infinitely horizontal theory. Someone important tell this dick-weeds to fuck off and stop breathing my precious air. I hereby decree that they are too stupid to function in a normal society.

Re:Scientific community?

[pxlmusic]

what's more fcuked up is that these idiots are breeding.

Re:Scientific community?

[Yvanhoe]

Someone tells these humorless Americans that humor can take many faces. What flat-earthers are doing is quite admirable in fact : they take the challenge of defending a view that is contradicted by almost every fact of normal life and try to create a coherent if convulated theory about it.

Re:Scientific community?

[nasor]

I actually went to their web page, and it seemed pretty clear that it was a tongue-in-cheek joke. Although I'm sure they're all having a BIG laugh at how worked up everyone is getting over the whole thing.

Re:Scientific community?

[budgenator]

There is no scientific basis for the "flat earth theory". None. Zero. Zilch.

Are you sure, have you seriously looked at their arguments and considered them on their merits rather than you emotional beliefs? I'll bet if you sit down with a dedicated Flat Earther and had a debate, he or she would smoke you. i seriously doubt that the Flat Earthers believe the Earth is flat, but they do like taking the contrarian position and arguing it for the sport value.

Re:Scientific community?

[StormReaver]

"Someone tells these humorless Americans that humor can take many faces."

When the crackpots (such as the creationists) invade your school systems, you'll lose your sense of humor, too.

Re:Scientific community?

[Gonoff]

It sounds to me like uou are unable to believe that there is nobody that dense.
Bob Heinlein wrote "Never understimate the power of human stupidity.

If people are so pusposely ignorant as to ignore the evidence about one thing, they will find it easy to ignore other truths as well.

I find it very believable that a small but vocal bunch of amazingly stupid people think the earth is flat. If they do, they will certainly have other foolish opinions as well.

Re:Scientific community?

[ale_ryu]

We should do to them exactly what they did to our guys 500 years ago, burn them, hang them, etc., at least we have proof we're right :P

Now, seriously speaking, it's obvious these guys are trolling, and they've put a lot of effort in it. Considering most of the slashdot community actually got angry at them I'd say they have succeded. Yep, these guys are successful trolls :P

Re:Scientific community?

[BewireNomali]

creationism is an opiate. it makes people who need it feel better about their existence. i can imagine that the guy who spins wonderous tales of magical beings can get laid - depending on his charisma, etc. it got jk rowling billions of dollars. *shrugs*

and yes i did compare the bible to harry potter.

flat-earthers? these guys do not get laid.

Re:Scientific community?

[freddy_dreddy]

I've only read a few threads and what they do is what every scientist pro or contra does: attack it from every possible angle. The topic they've chosen is as innocent as can be, and from the bits and pieces I've read they put up a very nice show which is amuzing to read

Questioning Science is not anti-scientific. Taking ruling theories as absolute truth is unscientific.

Stuff like this should be demonstrated in schools to show kids how science works and learn them how to build and defend your case.

Re:Scientific community?

[dgatwood]

That theory is comedically easy to disprove. The distance from San Jose, CA to DFW airport is 1,685 miles. At five hours or so for the flight, that comes to on the order of 300 MPH. A bus traveling that speed on land would not make it. The tires would blow out after a few thousand feet at such a speed. Even if you could get around this problem with a new tire design, you'd still have the problem of hitting people and vehicles on the way. And, of course, if there were some elaborate theatrical production outside a plane traveling at such a rate, the people would fly away themselves. Oh, and I would add that with the number of people in and around these two airports, surely someone would have seen these 300 MPH busses if such a story were true.

Re:Scientific community?

[AmishElvis]

I strongly suspect that these guys are the ultimate trolls. I think "Flat Earth" is a giant exercise in keeping a straight face.

Re:Scientific community?

[D'Sphitz]

The difference is I can understand why creationists think what they do. They have some "evidence" in the bible, they've been brainwashed since infancy, and it's a nice emotional crutch to not have to come to terms with their own mortality.

I'm at a loss to come up with any rationalization for believing the earth is flat, though.

Re:Scientific community?

[rk]

We've seen the resulting universe from what may have been a big bang, or a sudden creation, or a complete non-event, but we have no proof of any of them.

The moment you break out a word like "proof", you are already on the express bus out of Scienceville. Science is about coming up with theories that match observations, and can make predictions about future observations. The reason why scientists generally regard the Big Bang Theory as a good theory is because it fit observations made at the time and is confirmed by more observations made since that the theory predicted. When observations are made that don't fit the theory, the theory gets elaborated on (in the case of relativity refining Newton's classical mechanics) or outright rejected (luminiferous ether, phlogistons). A theory can be disproven, but can never really be proven.

Any reasonably honest scientist will cheerfully acknowledge that the current understanding of cosmology, evolution, or any other science doesn't represent the whole truth, or even a truth, but are models to explain what we see in nature. If science had all the answers, we'd have no need for further science research!

WOOOSH!! @ Americans

[EEPROMS]

Im Australian so I can understand the subtle nature sarcastic english humour. Sorry I have to rush off I have a committee meeting on a new funny walk that needs approval...

So what?

[the eric conspiracy]

Flat earthers etc. are fine with me so long as they don't all join the school board and force the teaching of their ideas in public schools.

Re:So what?

[Tack]

The implicit comparison is apt. Denying a round earth is quite close in ignorance to denying evolution.

I still have my BIG doubts...

[Spy der Mann]

How do we know it's not a club of pranksters who want to fool the world into believing flat-earthers still exist?

Re:Why did this get Slashdotted?

[WK2]

There is proof that the world is not flat. There will never be proof that God does not exist.

Re:Why did this get Slashdotted?

[thejeffer]

There will also never be proof that the Easter Bunny does not exist.