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Mr B · 09-10-2020, 04:36

Of course the Earth is flat,
All Flat Earthers around the globe will positevly agree to that,

I was with a special secret service company that used to repair the wall on the edge of the disc called earth, So I do know these things,

When the meteorite hit the earth 65 million years ago, All the dinosaurs used to live near the edge of the Flat disc called Earth,
The tidal wave it caused, Washed all the dinosaurs over the edge, Such a shame,
As I used to like my dinosaur pets,

It also lowered the ocean levels by 6 metres, The oceans got washed over the edge too,
The ocean would have lost a lot more depth as well,

But our secret team of wall builders managed to save the oceans by repairing the wall to keep the oceans on the disc called earth,

Ships cant get near the edge of earth, as the water near the edge rises up slightly and makes the ships slide back towards the centre,
Same as Yachts, They slide back to the centre if they get near the edge,

If you dont believe me, A visit from the Inquisition will certainly change your mind,
They have ways of changing your mind, And its all painfull, hahaha

aqfishing · 09-10-2020, 05:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr B

Of course the Earth is flat,
All Flat Earthers around the globe will positevly agree to that,

I was with a special secret service company that used to repair the wall on the edge of the disc called earth, So I do know these things,

When the meteorite hit the earth 65 million years ago, All the dinosaurs used to live near the edge of the Flat disc called Earth,
The tidal wave it caused, Washed all the dinosaurs over the edge, Such a shame,
As I used to like my dinosaur pets,

It also lowered the ocean levels by 6 metres, The oceans got washed over the edge too,
The ocean would have lost a lot more depth as well,

But our secret team of wall builders managed to save the oceans by repairing the wall to keep the oceans on the disc called earth,

Ships cant get near the edge of earth, as the water near the edge rises up slightly and makes the ships slide back towards the centre,
Same as Yachts, They slide back to the centre if they get near the edge,

If you dont believe me, A visit from the Inquisition will certainly change your mind,
They have ways of changing your mind, And its all painfull, hahaha

LMFAO!!!

Joefiss · 09-10-2020, 05:16

The basic goal of a conspiracy theorist, isn’t usually to prove that one specific theory is true or false, but to prove that nothing is provable, that all assertions are arbitrary. This is the type of thinking that leads people to believe that absolutely everything is “arbitrary and manipulative,” and that anything they don’t agree with is “fake news.”

Cartesian philosophy. Doubt all that is capable of being doubted. Horrifying implications. Completely alone. Disconnected from any objective reality and isolated in one's own thoughts. No body, no world, no others.

acem · 09-10-2020, 06:07

Come on y'all, most people don't care whether the earth is flat, round, semi spherical, or a cube of sugar. So loing as they have coffee, cigarettes, beer and gasoline they're happy. Thx-Ace

Bycrick · 09-10-2020, 06:37

For most people, most of the time, whether the earth is flat or round, or whether it’s the center of the universe or revolves around the sun, doesn’t make a whole lot of difference in their daily life. When it comes to celestial navigation, I’ll point to the old adage "All models are wrong, but some are useful." Thus believing in a round earth is useful. It makes no difference whether or not it’s "true" in some cosmic sense. Making belief in some position a matter of faith, "God said .....," or "everybody believes ..." doesn’t add a lot of weight to an argument.

CaptTom · 09-10-2020, 06:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joefiss

I can answer this one Mike. It comes down to trust in the veracity of what others tell us. With knowledge exploding exponentially the ability to comprehend all that information becomes increasingly impossible to assimilate. The inverse is faith must increase in what others are telling us is true.

I'm not so sure. We don't need to know it all. To paraphrase Einstein, never memorize what you can easily look up.

It's very possible to live a well-informed life and not know everything. In fact, the more I learn, the more I find myself saying those three little words which men find so hard to say: "I don't know." (To paraphrase another great mind, Red Green.)

When I need to know something, or if I just find a topic interesting, I'll do some research on what specialists in that field have learned. If there isn't good agreement among the experts, I'll consider the motivations of the various sources. And if there isn't good evidence, I'll accept that there are still questions which we don't yet have the answers to. That's how science works. That's how we distinguish objective truth from guesswork and fantasy.

I see no need for blind faith. But this requirement to "believe" seems deeply rooted in our culture. We're constantly asked "Do you believe in...?" It's as if we're expected to take a stand on topics about which there is insufficient evidence.

Why is it unacceptable to admit that we don't know whether Bigfoot exists, or aliens have visited Earth, or there's some magical man in the sky directing our every action? Without evidence, these are just stories. For all I know they may be true. But I don't have decide whether to "believe" them or not. I can just say I don't know.

double u · 09-10-2020, 06:52

"...Why do Americans seem to have a high percentage of flat earthers?..."
If their chosen leader is an indication...

**tkeithlu** · 09-10-2020, 07:16

Hummm. How do they explain two points, say two cities, being very close together in one direction and very far away in the opposite, but reacheable in both?

denverd0n · 09-10-2020, 07:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by GILow

I think it’s pretty clear that every flat-earther is just doing it to wind people up. There may have been one or two who originally believed the earth was flat but now it is a group of people who’ve found a fun way to troll every half-way logical person on the planet. Good on them, it’s less anti-social than some other ways of trolling people.

If that's really the case, then yes, good on them. Sadly, I'm not so sure that is really the case. At least, not for all of them.

Bycrick · 09-10-2020, 07:23

Even when one has "good evidence," different people can draw different conclusions. There’s "good evidence" that vaccines work to reduce the incidence of some diseases. There’s also "good evidence" that rarely they have bad results. But different people can justiably say "I’m not going to risk that my child is the one in X that has a bad result." That position isn’t necessarily a "denial of science" as opposed to a difference of opinion as to the value of my child in comparison to some "greater good." Before anybody says anything, I’ve had all my shots.

denverd0n · 09-10-2020, 07:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bycrick

But different people can justiably say "I’m not going to risk that my child is the one in X that has a bad result."

That's a classic one vs. many situation.

If I could be absolutely certain that every other person in the world would get the vaccine, then the most logical thing for me to do would be to NOT get the vaccine. Given the probability of a negative reaction, there is a calculable point at which, if X percent of people GET the vaccine, then the logical thing for me to do is to NOT get it. And vice versa.

Similarly, the world economy depends on people spending money. If everyone in the world tries as hard as they can to save as much as they can, then the economy would collapse. Yet, if everyone else is spending, and keeping the economy healthy, then it makes sense for me to try to save as much as I can.

There are a lot of things in life that are like this, where it is okay if a few people do it (and maybe even good for them), but it's very bad if everyone does it. Of course, when it comes to the anti-vaxxers, none of them seem to have any clue about the calculations. They are just afraid. They don't understand the science enough to know exactly WHY they are afraid (though they probably THINK that they know), but they are afraid.

Except, of course, there are also a few complete tin-foil whackos who think all vaccines are an attempt by "them" (whoever they might be) at some sort of mind control. I pretty much put those people into the same category as the ones who honestly believe that the Earth is flat, which is to say, completely irrational.

Mike OReilly · 09-10-2020, 08:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joefiss

I can answer this one Mike. It comes down to trust in the veracity of what others tell us. With knowledge exploding exponentially the ability to comprehend all that information becomes increasingly impossible to assimilate. The inverse is faith must increase in what others are telling us is true. With modern technological societies the malevolence of some can and does undermine this faith in the benevolence of the majority of others with profound understanding of certain subject matter. As faith in the benevolence of others erode the individual retreats into religious hysteria, conspiracy theories and rejection of social norms that continue to isolate the individual in an ever smaller vortex culminating in little more than existence as a disconnected thinking thing or a brain in a vat. Fortunately there is a method of reversing this trend. Whether it catches on is a different issue. Reconciliation is the method where a deceiver admits their error and makes amends and the offended accepts this gesture. Faith can then be restored. Of course I could be wrong and if so I apologize.

It's an interesting hypothesis Joe, but I'll need more evidence before I'd accept it.

For example, while it's true we awash in more information that ever in human history, the same statement was also true going back 10,000 years. Ever since the agricultural revolution which enabled civilizations to begin growing, we've been expanding our knowledge base. Knowledge is always "exploding". Perhaps we've crossed a threshold or a tipping point with today's digital world, but this is where I'd need proof, not just conjecture.

I think answer is more prosaic, but perhaps more nefarious. I think many civillizations have gone through this kind of retrenchment. Think the great Chinese retreat from the world, or the Muslim-world decline, or the west's Dark Ages. Each is different, but similarities include a retreat or rejection of modernity, and a sort of cocooning into faith-based/authority-based ways of knowing.

I think we're witnessing some shade of this now in the West. And I don't think it's by accident. Small, but powerful sectors are invested in the project of growing fear and ignorance amongst the population. They do this for short-term gain, disregarding the long-term damage this is inflicting.

But to emphasis your final point that I completely and strongly agree with: This is just my own theory, or hypothesis. I Don't Know for sure, and I too may be wrong

.

Singularity · 09-10-2020, 08:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

....Unless want to claim there is no objective truths in the universe, in which case I say, tell me about the objective truth of gravity as you step off your second-floor balcony (but not higher than that, please).

Look...the top physicists say/compute/find via experiment that there is no objective truth (other than, perhaps, that there is no objective truth).

Based on other comments here that lament 'new age thinkers' (or some such) who don't believe in objective truths as being nutty or whatever.....it's an appropriate irony/paradox that those stuck on late Greek 'objective truths' themselves don't seem to understand the core of science. This indeed is the point of the speaker in one of Thumbs Up's links. People have grown to use science as others use religion, ignoring experimental findings just as people ignore bible verses they don't agree with or can't compute.

Put differently and sarcastically, to modern physics (and Pythagorean maths), people who believe in 'objective truths' are the flat Earthers. Sperhical Earthers, on the other hand, appreciate Bell's theorem, Wigners friend, etcetera.

Mike OReilly · 09-10-2020, 08:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Singularity

Look...the top physicists say/compute/find via experiment that there is no objective truth (other than, perhaps, that there is no objective truth).

Based on other comments here that lament 'new age thinkers' (or some such) who don't believe in objective truths as being nutty or whatever.....it's an appropriate irony/paradox that those stuck on late Greek 'objective truths' themselves don't seem to understand the core of science. This indeed is the point of the speaker in one of Thumbs Up's links. People have grown to use science as others use religion, ignoring experimental findings just as people ignore bible verses they don't agree with or can't compute.

Put differently and sarcastically, to modern physics (and Pythagorean maths), people who believe in 'objective truths' are the flat Earthers. Sperhical Earthers, on the other hand, appreciate Bell's theorem, Wigners friend, etcetera.

Once again, you speak without saying anything. Top physicists have not "proven" there is no objective truth. You can't prove a negative. Philosophers (and physicists practicing philosophy) can spin a good yarn about that. But that is not proof.

Ultimately one can do a logical regression to the point where nothing is real; that the Universe doesn't exist. But one can never "prove" this, just like one can never prove there is an external, all-powerful god that created it all (or a programmer that coded it, if you like). As I said, if you don't believe in objective truth, step off your second floor balcony and tell us how objective gravity is.