Flat Earth Debate

[StoneCrab]

On a recent sail my buddies and I were debating the flat earth theories. We don't have this belief but we were discussing the possible basis or beliefs that are relied on by that those who do.

It was a fun discussion. I am not judgemental about those who hold this belief, but as a mental exercise, we were trying to argue from a flat earther's point of view.... you know how passage conversations go, you have plenty of time and a captive audience, so why not?

Yesterday I ran into a fellow who actually is a firm believer in the Flat Earth. While a lot of his beliefs come from historical texts and biblical writings, which he happily brought up on his computer, he also pointed out that there are no flights over Antarctica and had some suspicions about the treaty many countries signed over ownership and military bases on that continent.

The best fun fact was pulling up the United Nations flag which conspicuously shows all the continents but Antarctica. I didn't see that one coming...

I asked him about the offer that 747 pilot Kelsy made on his 74gear's YouTube Channel to fly a group of Flat Earthers anywhere they wanted to go. All they would have to do is charter the airplane, he would be the pilot and they could have an adventure together.

Apparently another YouTube channel called Baby Truthers tried to accept Kelsy's offer but he sort of backpedaled and nothing came of it. https://www.thedailyplane.com/clip-t...rth-challenge/

My new friend also told me that nobody is allowed to go South of 60 degrees South, which is why there are no commercial flights over the South Pole. He asserted that you cannot get permission to go to Antarctica. I thought this would be easy to dispute, so I spent some time on the internet looking for anything that would describe any restrictions or for that matter, who the governing authority is for Antarctica. It is not a country, so who do you report to? Is there such a thing as Customs down there?

Looking anything up on the Flat Earth theories is hard since much of it is taken down or censored on the internet. I'm not clear on whether there is supposed to be an edge down there or the wall of the dome that we are living under in this theory.

In the spirit of learning and playing with this some more, I was wondering what this group knows about going to Antarctica by plane or boat. I recall in a hazy way, reading about several individuals with aluminum boats that have sailed themselves there in the past, even wintering over, but now I can't retrace these stories.

Interesting associated side discussions involved the moon and how we only see one side of it and how perspective results in objects becoming too small to see, rather than the curvature of the earth making a far off boat drop from view.

I don't want to offend anyone either way, but rather explore something that is a rather foreign concept to me, and routinely censored on the internet. You know, see it from somebody else's point of view. I don't need feel a need to agree with the arguments, but I'd like to hear them, in part to find out why anyone would bother taking down material on the subject.

I figured starting with any restrictions on traveling there would be a start.
National Geographic and SA Expeditions go there but stay along the coast.
What say you?

[Cheechako]

"The Flat Earth Society has monthly meetings around the globe"

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by StoneCrab

Yesterday I ran into a fellow who actually is a firm believer in the Flat Earth...
The best fun fact was pulling up the United Nations flag which conspicuously shows all the continents but Antarctica. I didn't see that one coming...

It is the United Nations, not the United Continents.
The United Nations is made up of countries, that are members of the United Nations, not continents.
More ➥ https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-emblem-and-flag

[jimbunyard]

Not again --- obviously there's no real censorhship of flatearth conspiracies or they wouldn't be so easily available to view and laugh at.

I assume inland travel restrictions through the interior are to protect those too dumb to protect themselves, and to avoid constant rescue missions.

El Pinguino has experience there if I'm not mistaken.

[sagablu]

There are boats trips to Antarctica, available to anyone who wants to pay for it.
To make a somewhat less important point, this is not a debate. A debate involves facts on both sides, however the interpretation and preferences may differ. You can know more have a debate with someone who believes in flat Earth as you can with someone who believes that a tin foil hat is a necessary part of their daily attire.
https://www.expeditions.com/destinat...RoCCuEQAvD_BwE

[sagablu]

Clearly not censored. https://theflatearthsociety.org/home/

[Mike OReilly]

Seems to me we have a lot of flat-earther types around here. Just take a look at the various Covid-19 and climate change threads. Not hard to find anti-science people. Flat earthers are cut from the same cloth.

[SailOar]

How do Flat-Earthers explain the difference in day length, either seasonally at one particular (high-latitude) location, or on the same day between two points of greatly differing latitude (at the solstices)?

[Thumbs Up]

For the most part though the discussions here are dominated by close minded types who wouldn't even be able to take part in such a discussion even if it is just a thought exercise because they are unable to think "outside the box" and when they try it just makes their skin crawl.
I don't think there are any flat earthers on this forum. World sailors are about the least likely to subscribe to a flat earth theory.
What I do find intriguing however (you gonna love this Mike Oreilly), is the hollow earth theory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7vt5paORIc

[jimbunyard]

One has to learn how to think 'inside the box' before they can begin to think 'outside' it...

For instance, you might try imagining that, to everyone who's replied so far, the 'hollow earth hypothesis' is a well-known source of amusement.

[Thumbs Up]

Inside the box? You saying the earth might be a hollow box? Flat and hollow. I underestimated you Jim.

[seandepagnier]

Why does youtube not censor flat earth theory?

It seems wrong for them to allow any theory that does not agree with mainstream science or in some way contradicts public opinion.

[Mike OReilly]

There's an excellent recent documentary on the subject titled "Behind the Curve." It is a true doc (non judgemental) which goes into the flat earther world and tries to understand how so many people could fall so far off the apple cart.

What's striking is how much effort the flat earther thinkers put into trying to fit observable reality into their impossible model. These people are far from dumb ... some show incredible intelligence and creativity. Some are even good experimental scientists. They just refuse to follow their own evidence.

The best part of the doc was observing some excellent experiments the flat earther "scientists" were conducting. Their intent was to confirm their flat earth hypothesis, but the results kept contradicting their theory, indicating a round Earth instead. Instead of accepting their own data and results, they would go back and criticize their own experiments.

Amusing... but ultimately rather sad.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

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They just refuse to follow their own evidence.

The best part of the doc was observing some excellent experiments the flat earther "scientists" were conducting. Their intent was to confirm their flat earth hypothesis, but the results kept contradicting their theory, indicating a round Earth instead. Instead of accepting their own data and results, they would go back and criticize their own experiments.

Amusing... but ultimately rather sad.

Not only said, but consistent. Recall if you will a certain "recount" thing in some southwestern US State...

[SeanPatrick]

Ugh. I have come to the conclusion, based on many years of interactions, that flat-Earthers are either trolls or just really um ... let's say "gullible". Either way, there isn't much point in trying to reason with them.

There are plenty of rational, scientific explanations for everything they question. But they don't want to hear it. They just keep coming up with more nonsense. It's pointless.




On the other hand ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNqNnUJVcVs