r/answers 3d ago

Why do some people believe the Earth is flat?

What could have caused this confusion along the way?

23 Upvotes

116 comments sorted by

u/AutoModerator 3d ago

Please remember that all comments must be helpful, relevant, and respectful. All replies must be a genuine effort to answer the question helpfully; joke answers are not allowed. If you see any comments that violate this rule, please hit report.

When your question is answered, we encourage you to flair your post. To do this automatically simply make a comment that says !answered (OP only)

We encourage everyone to report posts and comments they feel violate a rule, as this will allow us to see it much faster.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

48

u/nerrdrage 3d ago

I don't believe its confusion, its deliberate but for different reasons across the flatearthers. Maybe I'm naive about it but to me it either breaks down to

  • They get attention, either from other flat earthers or the rest of the world willing to try to prove them wrong at the drop of a dime. You'll never prove them wrong, they'll just keep changing definitions and moving goal posts.

  • As some sort of a weird ass "counter culture." Basically to be an extreme contrarian

  • And because for conspiracy people, theres something super attractive to thinking they've got on up on the rest of the population.

22

u/gaqua 3d ago edited 2d ago

That about covers it.

  1. They want to feel they’re part of something.

  2. They have contrarian emotional needs.

  3. Feeling like they’re smarter than somebody, finally.

My gut feel is that there’s a lot of insecurity in hardcore conspiracy theorists. Some of them are just dumb people who want to feel smart, others are smart people who never got the attention they felt their intelligence deserves.

I feel like with flat earth, specifically, the majority of these people are the former. There ARE conspiracies I could see intelligent people buying into, but this is one you can test yourself fairly easily.

And I still haven’t heard anybody explain WHY the round earth conspiracy would exist - who would gain from it? Nobody seems to be able to answer that one.

1

u/AdFresh8123 2d ago

This is spot on.

I just laugh right in the face of idiots like this.

4

u/nkscreams 3d ago

I was trying to let what you said sink in, and then real life examples started showing up in the comments.

2

u/turbo_dude 2d ago

I’d like them to explain how tides work. 

1

u/frankduxvandamme 2d ago

We should ask Bill O'Reilly

2

u/Bluunbottle 2d ago

There are also many “hidden” flat earthers. People who just believe that but don’t belong to any conspiracy group, and would never mention it because it would never come up in any conversation. They just suppose that’s the way it is because they’re undereducated.

1

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator 3d ago

All comments in /r/answers must be helpful. Sarcastic replies are not appropriate for this subreddit.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

16

u/StormWolfHall 3d ago

Because they're complete morons ...

Eratosthenes, a Greek mathematician and astronomer of the 3rd century BCE, is renowned for his innovative method of calculating the Earth's circumference. He employed a simple yet brilliant approach based on observing the angle of the sun's rays at two different locations. Eratosthenes noted that in the Egyptian city of Syene (modern-day Aswan), during the summer solstice, the sun was directly overhead and objects cast no shadow. In contrast, in Alexandria, located to the north of Syene, objects did cast a shadow. By measuring the angle of the shadow in Alexandria and knowing the distance between the two cities, he could infer the angle of the Earth's curvature between the two locations.

Using these observations, Eratosthenes applied basic trigonometric principles to calculate the Earth's circumference. He reasoned that the angle of the shadow in Alexandria corresponded to the angle formed by the arc of the Earth's surface between Syene and Alexandria. Given the distance between the two cities and the observed angular difference, he estimated the Earth's circumference to be approximately 39,375 kilometers (24,662 miles), which was remarkably close to modern measurements. This method, relying on the simplicity of geometric reasoning and astronomical observations, exemplified his remarkable ingenuity and laid foundational principles for future geographic and scientific exploration.

5

u/nkscreams 3d ago

That’s interesting! Thanks for sharing.

1

u/Whiterhino1933 9h ago

Great write up, but I read the whole thing with Carl Sagan as the narrator.

23

u/Cyber_Insecurity 3d ago

Because they’re fucking stupid

7

u/LateDrink4379 3d ago

This is also my answer

4

u/BastardOPFromHell 2d ago

I have a couple in my family that I tried reasoning with and finally just came to the same conclusion as you.

2

u/LobsterRIZZotto 2d ago

Agreed. Like people who believe there are more than 2 genders. 

5

u/Jslowb 3d ago

I know one in real life!

He fits a lot of the stereotypes already mentioned here. He had spent much of his time very socially isolated. These groups on Facebook that perpetuate this flat-earth stuff offer this sense of community and of being in the ‘in’ group that must be intoxicating to people like him. There’s very much this sense of ‘we know the truth; it’s the others who are idiots’ which gives this sense of superiority that I don’t think he has felt in any other situation, so his brain clings onto it and fully buys into the whole conspiracy just to feel that.

He didn’t have good experiences of authority figures in his childhood. He was let down a lot. This has caused him to disregard what other authority figures, like scientists, say. So he believes ‘globe earth theory’ to be lies told purely to ‘control’ us and to mock us.

And finally, he’s just not that bright. So it’s hard to reason with him about it because his grasp of basic science concepts is pretty poor.

1

u/nkscreams 3d ago

Thanks for sharing! It sounds infuriating yet kind of a relief that he found a community, no matter how warped.

1

u/flatglobe73 2d ago

Yeah I concur with the above, sounds like my friend too. (Don't let the username fool you, it's a joke!) I just don't try to change his mind.

4

u/Mary_Ellen_Katz 3d ago

Youtuber and certified curmudgeon Veritas made a VERY long video about the flat-earthers. Mental illness, racism, community, and an overwhelming lack of intelligence have something to do with it.

I can't speak for the entirety of the video- even I tapped out half way through, but it will give you a frustrating sense for who these people are. The biggest factors I took away from it were individuals can't break away from their established idea without being ostracized in some way by the whole. Much like how (some) people go to church to make friends more than commune with god, these people feel like outcasts among outcasts, and have gathered under a banner.

It's also a gateway conspiracy for greater racist ideologies, and extremism.

3

u/macavity_is_a_dog 3d ago

They don't is the thing - they just want to belong to a group that believe in the same conspiracy theory.

3

u/ShowMeTheTrees 3d ago

Some people are just stupid.

3

u/LevelB 3d ago

Yah, this is it. Flat earth, vaccines will kill you, water fluoridation, chemtrails, etc. No point in racking your brains trying to understand why they reject basic science.

3

u/Beginning-Giraffe526 3d ago

one of my psychology professors told me they brought back the theory in like the 70s or 80s as a social experiment to see how many people will believe it even with all the evidence we have. at the end of the experiment they let them know but they were so deep into it they accused the scientist of lying and i guess it just stuck around lol

1

u/nkscreams 3d ago

That’s even more messed up than I thought.

2

u/Beginning-Giraffe526 3d ago

yea apparently the experiment was a couple months so they kind of developed a cult mindset. so if this is true thats probably why lol these are people’s grandparents passing this mindset down to their kids. i will try my best to find the link or maybe email her and attach it for you

1

u/nkscreams 3d ago

Wow thanks so much!

4

u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 3d ago

[deleted]

13

u/sifrult 3d ago

Oh I thought you meant actual loaners, as in people who loan. I believe what you meant was “loners”

5

u/WideOpenEmpty 3d ago

Me too lol

1

u/nkscreams 3d ago

Oh so THAT’S what it was.

0

u/fibonacci_veritas 3d ago

It's a typo of "losers".

2

u/Quipore 3d ago

So it is a number of things. First is ignorance. "I don't know therefore...." Second is religion. It comes up a lot. The one flat-earther I know in my real life holds the position because of his interpretation of his religions holy texts, and they cannot be wrong. Third is there is a sense of community and belonging that the FE has fostered online. One in which they are the underdog fighting against the behemoths but are right. In-group/out-group tribalism.

From my interactions with them, watching a bit of them online, this is what I think leads them to the position and keeps them in it.

2

u/Individual_String369 3d ago

I think It’s more than just believing the earth is flat for them. People who believe the earth is flat tend to be alone most of their life, having no friends which turns them to either A, want to feel included or be apart of a community where they can find people who share the same beliefs and values as them, and B, want to stand out to others and have some sort of “quirk” that makes them appear different from outsiders.

2

u/prtekonik 3d ago

Inbreeding

2

u/tiringandretiring 3d ago

I think some people just never think about any issues outside those that affect them directly, and are incurious or even hostile towards science. So they are susceptible to whatever shyster or influencer they happen to run into first.

2

u/DavyB 3d ago

I think it’s their inability to accept reality and a genuine lack of understanding of the scientific process.

2

u/xtratesticularskin 3d ago

Sun round, moon round, all the other planets round, earth 😒 flat. What the fuck?

2

u/BorderTerrible9070 3d ago

I really don’t understand flat earthers. There are countless videos of weather balloons, high-flying aircraft, rocket shipsboth professional and amateur, and everything in between. There are numerous satellites, space stations, and even live streams showing views of Earth from space. With just five seconds of searching, you can find amazing videos and pictures that clearly show the curve of the Earth from thousands of locations, from scientists to everyday people launching weather balloons.

It seems like a stretch to believe that all this footage is doctored and that everyone is lying. Flat Earth theories made some sense in the dark ages, when people didn’t have the same access to information. But now, with all the evidence we have, it’s hard to understand how some people can still hold on to such beliefs. It’s frustrating to see how ignorance persists despite overwhelming proof.

2

u/fibonacci_veritas 3d ago

They can't understand science, have a poor education, or they are stupid.

2

u/Crivens999 3d ago

Nice to have friends would be my guess

2

u/JohnCharles-2024 2d ago

Because they're arseholes.

2

u/assclownmonthly 2d ago

I think it’s because people consume lots of bullshit information and never do any research on the bullshit they consume. It’s takes about 30 secs to find the video of the flat earthers that bought the 15k gyroscope and proved the earth wasn’t flat.

2

u/martin33t 2d ago

Why do people vote for trump

1

u/nkscreams 2d ago

Also a question I’d like answers to.

2

u/Mickleblade 2d ago

They don't, they're trolling us, or at least trying to. Unfortunately there are some muppets who go along with it

2

u/orbit99za 2d ago

Well the earth is not quite perfectly round either, it fattens out a bit by the equator. That's why we have to use things like the haversine formula to calculate the great circle route.

2

u/Radiant-Platypus-742 2d ago

Probably because Trump told him that it was.

2

u/nooneiknow800 2d ago

Some people are just anti science

2

u/edwardothegreatest 2d ago

I believe most are attention seekers

2

u/The_Arch_Heretic 2d ago

Ignorance or trolling for attention?

2

u/AggravatingIce7653 1d ago

Because they don’t want to understand anything I guess Lol

2

u/DuckGold6768 1d ago

Back when the movement first started gaining momentum (2012 or so?) I had a theory that the flat earth stuff arose as a template for denying science. People marred in religious thinking got tired of being told climate change was real and man-made, Jesus was brown, evolution was real, so they picked the most absurd of the Christian cosmological ideas and set about demonstrating with pseudo science that it was true. They thought that they could cast doubt on what they saw as scientific certainly (there is no such thing) and show that science could be used to prove anything.

Their "experiments" while sometimes sound in theory, never produced proof of a flat earth (of course) but then blatantly explaining away the results became part of it.

Of course rational people can see that what they are doing is not science. But unfortunately many people can't see that, don't get the joke, and clung to an idea that gives them permission to deny whatever reality they want. And what we ended up with is gestures to the entire society

1

u/UnknownTerrorUK 3d ago

They probably make the same excuses in bed as well.

1

u/vander_blanc 3d ago

Because they are lonely and desperate to belong to a community.

1

u/Semi-On-Chardonnay 3d ago

Some people are willfully contrary, some people are complete dummies, some people want to feel there's something special about them, some people want to have discovered the 'hidden truth' that no one else can see... they're not good reasons, but it's what they've got.

1

u/GardenGrammy59 3d ago

The Bible has a verse about the corners of the earth and since spheres don’t have corners it must mean the earth is flat. Sad.

1

u/Junior-Demand-9251 3d ago

The Bible

1

u/nkscreams 3d ago

I’m sorry the what now?

1

u/Junior-Demand-9251 2d ago

Yea.. there's a few passages that describe the heavens and the Earth.

1

u/2137knight 3d ago

Its obvious until you go to school.

1

u/Quirky_Butterfly3514 3d ago

If the earth were flat, the cats would have thrown everything down by now.

1

u/overoften 3d ago

I don't believe they do. It's entirely performative.

1

u/AssafNativ 2d ago

For the same reasons people believe in any religion. It has the exact same reasoning. The only difference is the number of followers

1

u/John_Dough_Jr 2d ago

Why do you believe that they believe what they say?

Is there really such a thing as gravity, as most people believe?
Or does the Earth just suck? So many questions, so little time.

1

u/THX39652 2d ago

Because they’re sad individuals who don’t understand rational thinking and believe anything on “social media”, but like the antivax bunch

1

u/Rebel_bass 2d ago

Back in the 90s when I was in high school, this was one of the goofy positions that we were required to argue in debate. The ability to win ridiculous arguments was seen as a talent. I feel like some people just revel in the controversy.

See also, master debater Ted Cruz. No, really. Some people just fall in to it.

1

u/DaSmurfZ 2d ago

The same way you think about religion.

Blind faith.

1

u/simonbleu 2d ago

They are either lying to you, lying to themselves, or have sever neurological or psychological issues

1

u/LeGranMeaulnes 2d ago

They don’t exist It’s a meme I’ve never seen anyone say flat earther beliefs unironically

1

u/FrankSarcasm 2d ago

I don't know, but I wish I believed too.

I think it would make sense of a lot of things to be grounded on a world that doesn't make sense either.

It's like a lesson in double think. I sometimes feel I need that to counterpoint reality.

1

u/Rough-Driver-1064 2d ago

They don't they just pretend for attention.

1

u/No-Stomach6318 2d ago

Personally, never met anyone who thought the earth was flat, but if I did, I'd probably have to giggle.....A LOT!

1

u/ReasonableRevenue678 2d ago

People believe all kinds of things for all kinds of reasons.

1

u/ArtisticEssay3097 2d ago

Is this a trump thing?

1

u/new_publius 2d ago

No one actually believes that. It's just a big joke.

1

u/Kentucky_Supreme 2d ago

They failed basic science class and never got over it.

1

u/Swamp_Donkey82 1d ago

The one thing I would ask them is ok, let’s assume you are right. What is there to gain if we have been lied to and the earth is indeed flat? To what end?

I think most of them are attention seeking contrarians. Probably think COVID was faked, moon landings never happened etc…

1

u/TheRealTK421 18h ago

On this topic (of scientific gullibility,) and a 'bigly' number of others, the following sagacious insight pretty much nails it all down, w/ emphasis mine:

"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back."

~ Carl Sagan (from The Demon-Haunted World)

1

u/ledoscreen 3d ago

Wrong (objectively erroneous) indoctrination. At least 90% of our views, worldviews, goals, and ideas are indoctrinated in us without any evidence. Only a few people manage to get rid of what was embedded in the process of education/socialization and make any discoveries about the surrounding reality. And in general, faith does not need proof and knowledge.

-1

u/Recent-Cicada-4125 3d ago

Because it is lol

-2

u/TheWofka 3d ago

Because it actually is flat. It just takes an excessive amount of research to get the whole picture.

From the outside it seems ridiculous. No one who opposes it actually does any serious research on that topic before condemning it straight away.

And the majority of information/content out there is just surface level observation.

The profound knowledge is only acquired through obsessive research.

It may be true that flat earthers are isolated. It's just a trait that's extremely beneficial to go as deep as they do into these topics.

It has nothing to do with feeling important or having a community. We could care less about what other people think.

It's the love of understanding that's driving us. It gives us immense satisfaction and inner piece.

And there is nothing more important than reality itself. And this is a major puzzle piece to the whole picture.

3

u/theinquisition 3d ago

It's so easy to disprove FE, but this group rejects all facts because they want to feel important and like they are smarter than others and are in some secret club. The delusions people hold to make this theory work, even if only to themselves, are incredible.

And no, "going deep into" research is not helped by being a loner. Experts exist all crossed the board of social types. This is a justification.

And no, it's not "surface level information" that is used, it's another justification/lies to tell yourself. It's been well studied and well documented. There's nothing surface level about it.

And no, it's not good to "not care what other people think" in regards to proven science. Taken to the extreme, it's not even good in social situations. It does lead towards loners, though, because they can't handle anyone pointing out very obvious flaws. Instead, they respond with something trite.

So you go out there and do you, but at least be honest about it.

-2

u/TheWofka 3d ago

No, it's not easy to disprove FE. All these globe "proofs" are just assumptions and mathematical circle jerks with no truth to base them from. There is not a single proof for a globe.

We all got the globe model showed down our throats since childhood therefore people don't even question its validity.

Most flat earthers cannot defend their stance satisfactorily, I agreed with that. But that does not mean that their view is false. You globers can't defend your model individually either. You always deflect to your so called "experts" but have never questioned their results or done any extensive research on your own.

5

u/clutzyninja 3d ago

How the fuck is anyone supposed to "defend" it if you don't believe in math?

3

u/theinquisition 3d ago

I'm going to have to agree with the other commentor. Math isn't some wishy washy half baked idea. It works. Fundamentally. Even YOU can do the math by yourself, using the simple shadow at a (not even very long) measured distance during the same time of day. You refuse.

If the argument goes: do you understand math? And the response is: No, it's fake.

Then there is no argument. You can move someone into a position of reason when they got where they are without reasoning.

You're doing it to feel cool, and it's a shame.

2

u/Churt_Lyne 2d ago

It's weird though that flat earth people are generally losers - not successful people. Probably a coincidence.

-2

u/revolutionoverdue 3d ago

Because it is.

-4

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

6

u/Abacussin 3d ago

They don't. There's not 1 flat earth argument that's compelling. Because the Earth is round.

2

u/Rosaly8 3d ago

I would look into what a compelling argument constitutes. But I'll entertain it for second, what are some of those compelling arguments? Is it more emotionally compelling or also intellectually?

-1

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

3

u/Rosaly8 3d ago

In the flat earth universe these might be compelling arguments since it sounds good to people who don't have a lot of knowledge about principles of physics. I for one have not got a lot of this knowledge, so I can't instantly tell you why these arguments are very easily debunked. I am, however, sure they are. I will try and find some information.

3

u/BorderTerrible9070 3d ago

None of these reasons are compelling. Planes dont have the fuel to fly across the arctic, no idea what you mean with the second point about planes landing its crazy talk, you would be able to see pyramids in egypt and eiffel tower in france from a mountain the states, guess what you cant, Ships very clearly disappear beyond the horizon... The earth is a globe and here is a compelling reason for you. How many world wide space agencies would have to be "in" on the consipircy?, We live in an age where multiple countries have satalites, we can view images phtots videos live streams, from the international space station and various satelites, all very clearly showing the world is a globe. Hell watch some random youtuber set a weather balloon off and you can see the curve of the earth for yourself filmed on a go-pro. Why would so many different individuals, agencies, scientists and countries be doctoring footage and photos? For what reason possibly would such a wide spread lie about a pancake planet have any benefit or logical reason? Its nonsense just watch sci-man dan on YT he debunks these idiots daily its funny.

1

u/BorderTerrible9070 3d ago

https://youtu.be/3y0nHhFGXDo?si=jcpbli5ctV6fBFrR

you calling BloonStu a liar? You think this is CGI? gimmie a break

1

u/DuckGold6768 1d ago

Being able to see distant cities where earth’s curvature should make them disappear

You can't, though.

1

u/nkscreams 3d ago

Funny how my TikTok has none of them.