The Earth is not perfectly round but an irregularly shaped ellipsoid. Although it appears round from space, it bulges at the equator due to centrifugal force.
It has mountains rising almost 30,000 feet and ocean trenches diving over 36,000 feet. NASA shows Earth’s curved form, confirming what ancient Greeks discovered through observations over 2,000 years ago.
NASA explains that ancient Greeks and Egyptians discovered Earth’s roundness by observing star movements and the Sun’s shadows in different locations. However, despite overwhelming proof, flat-earthers continue to propagate their theory and even claim the truth.
This article will debunk some of the most common flat-earth theories and explore why this idea has become so popular recently.
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Is the Earth Flat? Believed by Whom?
Honestly, it is not only scientists or researchers who believe that the Earth is flat. Many celebrities also have the same beliefs.
Let’s take the example of rapper-singer Bobby Ray Simmons Jr., also known as B.o.B, who released a track in 2016 called Flatline in which he disses astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
B.o.B believes that the Earth is flat. Once, the rapper tweeted “No matter how high in elevation you are.. the horizon is always eye level. Sorry cadets. I didn’t wanna believe it either.”
Former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal proclaimed in a podcast that aired around 2017 that our home planet is flat. He said that when he drives from Florida to California, “it’s flat to me.” Though Shaq later said he was kidding.
A YouTuber like Marble posted a video on YouTube in 2017 and said that he brought a spirit level aboard a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Seattle, Washington, to see whether the plane’s nose would dip to compensate for the world’s curvature, he said.
In the video, he said that he recorded a 23-minute and 45-second time lapse, which, by those measurements, means the plane traveled a little over 203 miles.
Also, according to NOAA’s National Ocean Service, Earth’s shape is definitively proven through satellite imagery, geodetic measurements, and observations of Earth’s shadow during lunar eclipses, which consistently show a circular shape.
Does Time Zone Affect The Shape Of Earth?
Time zones don’t affect Earth’s shape; rather, they’re evidence of it. Time zones exist because the Earth is spherical and rotates on its axis, causing different parts to face the sun at different times.
If Earth were flat, everyone worldwide would experience sunrise and sunset simultaneously. The fact that it’s day in Tokyo while night in New York directly proves Earth’s roundness, as this phenomenon is only possible on a rotating sphere.
The Zetetic Method Theory
This theory is called the Zetetic Method. It is an alternative to the scientific method developed by a 19th-century flat-earther, in which sensory observations reign supreme.
In the Zetetic view, the perception that Earth is flat leads to the result that it must be flat.
Zetetic methods flourished in England around 1800. Zetetic means seeker or skeptic, and flat-earthers took this name to symbolize their views of the shape of the Earth.
Samuel Birley Rowbotham (1816-1884), a 19th-century religious fundamentalist, promoted the flat earth philosophy. He is a well-known historical figure who wrote under many pseudonyms, including Tryon, S. Goulden, Parallax, and Dr. Birley. His major work was Earth Not a Globe, which was written around 1849.
John Hampden (1819-1891) founded the Truth-seekers Oracle and Scriptural Science Review in about 1876 and promoted the flat earth idea in England. In around 1870, Hampden bet with naturalist Alfred Wallace on the outcome of a test of the flatness of water in the Old Bedford Canal. Both sides tried the test to confirm their views, and flat-earthers still assert that water surfaces have been proven to be flat.
Other flat-earthers were active during this time. In about 1885, William Carpenter wrote One Hundred Proofs that the Earth is not a Globe.
Lady Blount, the wife of Sir Walter de Sodrington Blount, promoted flat-earth ideas and founded and edited the journal Earth from 1900 to 1904.
Scotsman John Alexander Dowie (1847-1907) studied at Edinburgh University. Later, he established a pastorate near Sydney, Australia, and included flat-earth dogma in his theology.
The Earth was flat in Zion
Around 1888, Scotsman John Alexander Dowie (1847-1907) brought these ideas to America, founded the Christian Catholic Church in Chicago, and was known as a faith healer.
The church grew, and Dowie finally realized his dream of founding a Christian community in 1901. As the community grew rapidly, Dowie slowly moved away from the simple life he had earlier been living.
Later, he resided in a 25-room mansion and designed magnificent ecclesiastical robes.
All the community members thought he was wearing too much style, so his wife was also criticized. In around 1906, Dowie was forced to resign from his position after he suffered a stroke.
NASA conspiracy and every other one of them are just rationalizations for a way that may add practice.
Conspiracy Theory Psychology
Expert psychologist Karen Douglas, who studies the psychology of conspiracy theories, says that flat-earthers’ beliefs are the same as those of other conspiracy theorists she has studied.
She had said all conspiracy theories share a basic thrust. Instead, they present an alternative theory about an important issue or event and construct a vague explanation for why someone is covering up the true version of events.
Flat-earthers are more adamant that the Earth is flat and try to prove it than most people are that the Earth is round, maybe because they feel they have nothing to prove.
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Conclusion: Planet Earth Is Not Completely Round
The flat Earth concept is about the Earth’s Shape. Many ancient people held to the belief that the Earth is flat in shape, including people of Greece until the classical period.
The scientific evidence for Earth’s spherical nature is overwhelming, and addressing flat Earth beliefs requires engagement that goes beyond simply presenting facts.
Despite the scientific fact that the Earth’s shape is round, flat Earth conspiracy theories have emerged in modern flat Earth society, and they’re increasing due to individuals who use social media and are growing rapidly because of that.
