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Flat Earth on the ballot? Debunked claim pops up in US politics.

SNOWFLAKE

SNOWFLAKE

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People involved in politics in Alabama, Georgia and Minnesota have attracted attention for their links to the flat Earth movement, although their beliefs and reasoning vary.

To some, the beliefs have a spiritual connection. Others say they have a healthy skepticism of scientific consensus.

Data from a 2021 University of New Hampshire survey shows nearly 10% of Americans believe the Earth is flat, indicating how widespread pseudo-scientific conspiracy theories are emerging in the U.S.

In general, most flat-earthers believe Earth is a flat, hockey-puck-like object covered by a dome, sometimes called a firmament, with walls of ice around the edges of the dome. Flat-earthers think they can prove this because the seas appear level, not curved, and say it is not possible to view the Earth's curvature of the horizon from airplanes.
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www.usatoday.com

Flat Earth on the ballot? Debunked claim pops up in US politics.

A few politicians are making news for accepting a once-fringe conspiracy theory that the Earth is flat. Voters aren't embracing it − yet.
www.usatoday.com

10% ??

Any flat Earthers on here? Don't be embarrassed, tell us how it is possible that the Earth is flat. We need edumacation.
 
Nobody really believes the world is flat. However people may just want to play devils advocate just to get a rise out of others. This is doable because in your personal observations the world does in fact look flat.
 
dmpi said:
Nobody really believes the world is flat. However people may just want to play devils advocate just to get a rise out of others. This is doable because in your personal observations the world does in fact look flat.
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It is an anti-science religion and like all religions all it takes is faith. Reality is immaterial and in many cases not desirable.
 
Phys251 said:
Good god. People cannot be this stupid. ...oh wait yes they can.
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It is no more stupid than believing in some cosmic muffin that is looking down at all of us. We have religious freedom so people can believe anything they want.
 
Funny enough the reasons given are correct it's just that the conclusion is wrong. The seas do appear level, not curved, and it is not possible to view the Earth's curvature of the horizon from airplanes. In fact the horizon is always seen at eye level whether you stand on the beach or are in a plane. But this is because the earths atmosphere acts as a lens and distorts your view to make the the horizon always appear at eye level.
 
soylentgreen said:
Funny enough the reasons given are correct it's just that the conclusion is wrong. The seas do appear level, not curved, and it is not possible to view the Earth's curvature of the horizon from airplanes. In fact the horizon is always seen at eye level whether you stand on the beach or are in a plane. But this is because the earths atmosphere acts as a lens and distorts your view to make the the horizon always appear at eye level.
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Not really. You can discern the curvature of the earth visually through movement. When the distance between something tall and you closes, you can perceive how more of it comes into view on the horizon. This was understood centuries ago by people searching for a ship on the horizon; you see the top of the mast first, then gradually more of the ship. Same if you're sailing towards a mountainous coast.
 
LostInSeattle said:
Not really. You can discern the curvature of the earth visually through movement. When the distance between something tall and you closes, you can perceive how more of it comes into view on the horizon. This was understood centuries ago by people searching for a ship on the horizon; you see the top of the mast first, then gradually more of the ship. Same if you're sailing towards a mountainous coast.
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While true that again is an optical illusion created by the atmosphere. If a person stands on the ground and nothing blocks the view, they can see up to the horizon, which is around 3 miles into the distance. Because the earth is round, everything past the horizon line curves out of view. After three miles the haze obscures your view. But basically you are correct that you will see the top of the ship first and then the rest as it gets closer. So with a focal point such as a ship one could make the assumption that the earth curves downwards at the edge. But that alone would not be enough to conclude the earth is a globe. To do that you would have to conduct the same experiment as Eratosthenes did.
The optical illusion always puts the horizon at eye level. From nothing but observation without any focal point such as a ship then it is more likely to assume that the earth must be saucer shape with the edges curving up.
 
soylentgreen said:
Funny enough the reasons given are correct it's just that the conclusion is wrong. The seas do appear level, not curved, and it is not possible to view the Earth's curvature of the horizon from airplanes. In fact the horizon is always seen at eye level whether you stand on the beach or are in a plane. But this is because the earths atmosphere acts as a lens and distorts your view to make the the horizon always appear at eye level.
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Yet on a clear day you can watch ships sink lower and lower on the horizon.

The observation of ships seemingly "sinking" as they sail away and approach the horizon is due to the curvature of the Earth. As a ship recedes from an observer on shore, the lower portions of the ship are gradually blocked by the Earth's curvature, creating the illusion of a ship sinking.

https://www.google.com/search?q=on+...d=chrome&ie=UTF-8#vhid=dYGt88ABhb-czM&vssid=l
 
soylentgreen said:
While true that again is an optical illusion created by the atmosphere. If a person stands on the ground and nothing blocks the view, they can see up to the horizon, which is around 3 miles into the distance. Because the earth is round, everything past the horizon line curves out of view. After three miles the haze obscures your view. But basically you are correct that you will see the top of the ship first and then the rest as it gets closer. So with a focal point such as a ship one could make the assumption that the earth curves downwards at the edge. But that alone would not be enough to conclude the earth is a globe. To do that you would have to conduct the same experiment as Eratosthenes did.
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Conclude - no, but if the earth curves downward than you would have to conclude that, if not a globe it at least must be some kind of elipse. Thanks for mentioning Eratosthenes. What brilliance!
soylentgreen said:
The optical illusion always puts the horizon at eye level. From nothing but observation without any focal point such as a ship then it is more likely to assume that the earth must be saucer shape with the edges curving up.
Click to expand...
That makes no sense to me because if the earth were to curve up at the edges it would rise high and fill the sky beyond the horizon, unless one were right near the edge. If you start at the bottom of a shallow bowl, the horizon would drop as you move towards the edge, and if you start near the edge and look to the center you would have quite a view!!
 
iguanaman said:
Yet on a clear day you can watch ships sink lower and lower on the horizon.

The observation of ships seemingly "sinking" as they sail away and approach the horizon is due to the curvature of the Earth. As a ship recedes from an observer on shore, the lower portions of the ship are gradually blocked by the Earth's curvature, creating the illusion of a ship sinking.

https://www.google.com/search?q=on+...d=chrome&ie=UTF-8#vhid=dYGt88ABhb-czM&vssid=l
Click to expand...
True given a focal point such as a ship then the optical illusion changes. As I pointed out before, the limit of our vision due to atmospheric haze is only 3 miles. So unless you want to argue the horizon is only 3 miles away then what you are seeing is only an illusion. The same kind of illusion that makes the moon appear larger on the horizon than it does when right above us.
And this as well is not enough to prove the earth is a globe. At best all you can say is that there is a down wards turn at the edges.
 
LostInSeattle said:
Conclude - no, but if the earth curves downward than you would have to conclude that, if not a globe it at least must be some kind of elipse. Thanks for mentioning Eratosthenes. What brilliance!

That makes no sense to me because if the earth were to curve up at the edges it would rise high and fill the sky beyond the horizon, unless one were right near the edge. If you start at the bottom of a shallow bowl, the horizon would drop as you move towards the edge, and if you start near the edge and look to the center you would have quite a view!!
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The illusion of the horizon at eye level works even if you are on a plane.

Arguing that the earth is a globe is just a waste of time and distracts from the more important question. Which is whether the great a'tuin is a male or a female.
 
Phys251 said:
Good god. People cannot be this stupid. ...oh wait yes they can.
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Believing in God is just as stupid... but around 8 billion people do so anyway...


d
 
soylentgreen said:
While true that again is an optical illusion created by the atmosphere. If a person stands on the ground and nothing blocks the view, they can see up to the horizon, which is around 3 miles into the distance. Because the earth is round, everything past the horizon line curves out of view. After three miles the haze obscures your view. But basically you are correct that you will see the top of the ship first and then the rest as it gets closer. So with a focal point such as a ship one could make the assumption that the earth curves downwards at the edge. But that alone would not be enough to conclude the earth is a globe. To do that you would have to conduct the same experiment as Eratosthenes did.
The optical illusion always puts the horizon at eye level. From nothing but observation without any focal point such as a ship then it is more likely to assume that the earth must be saucer shape with the edges curving up.
Click to expand...

Wrong. It is about 5k away....


d
 
SNOWFLAKE said:
www.usatoday.com

Flat Earth on the ballot? Debunked claim pops up in US politics.

A few politicians are making news for accepting a once-fringe conspiracy theory that the Earth is flat. Voters aren't embracing it − yet.
www.usatoday.com

10% ??

Any flat Earthers on here? Don't be embarrassed, tell us how it is possible that the Earth is flat. We need edumacation.
Click to expand...
I'll tell you what, they have a 1 percent chance of not being laughed at for the idiots they are. PLEASE!!!!.
 
bongsaway said:
What's next from the stupid factory?
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Plenty to choose from:

Trump won the 2020 election
Chemtrails
6 million Jews were NOT killed
Moon landing was faked
9/11 was an inside job
New World Order
George Soros
False flag school shootings
Pizzagate
Barack Obama is not a US citizen and Michelle is really a man
Burisma
Dead people voting
Covid vaccines cause autism
Climate change is a hoax
Hitler was a Socialist
Haitians eat dogs in the US

Now, ask yourself, which side of the political divide most often believe and espouse one or more of those theories. Then remember...................

But what a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power to reason away
 
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