Inventing the myth of the flat earth

I'm hardly an expert. Like I said, it's something of a hobby. I read about it years ago, and it fascinated me for whatever reason. I even defended it on in a thread here some time ago. Mentioning multiple times that I didn't actually believe it to be true didn't stop the ad hominems or appeals to authority though
I'll try to answer as best I can.

1&2) I tend to think several cultures had early proponents of a spherical earth. No question in my mind that like many other things, the belief became more widespread or "popular" throughout the known world due to the influence of the Greek empire.

3) My guess is the cultural and religious biases in the far East delayed the idea's acceptance (at least in court). There were Chinese astronomers (whose names escape me at the moment) who thought the earth was a globe, but they were decidedly in the minority, and didn't reflect the cultural belief.

Thanks there, didn't mean to put you on the spot. Both Sky and I hold an interest in this subject and I know Skyfloating would have asked you the same questions.

Thanks again

Hello Del,

I remember you from that thread "The Earth is Flat" (or similar). You are one who in fact believes that the earth is flat, right?

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The Hebrew word "chuwg" = circle.

The Hebrew word "duwr" = ball.

This is the word used in the relevant bible passages.

So at least the ancient hebrews saw the earth as a ball.

No, I said stated several times (including my first post in the thread) that I didn't believe it. I happily defended it, however, especially as most of the arguments against it were worthless. There are several good reasons that argue against it being true: star visibility in the southern hemisphere, distances in the southern hemisphere, space travel, etc. Most of the thread, however, consisted of "Everyone knows it's round" and "You're an idiot." That's hardly an argument against a flat earth.
I rather enjoyed, however, answering with the same "it's a conspiracy" deflections and "how do you know?" or "NASA isn't to be trusted" answers which I see here defending reptillians and nibiru, et al. I figured what's good for the goose is good for the gander. It was an intellectual exercise for me (as I again stated in the thread)-- it was interesting to find that most people had no real reason to espouse a spherical earth other than that is what they learned growing up in school. Also, that the people who had the least understanding about physics were seemingly the ones who were most violently opposed to it.


EDIT: Here's the thread in question.


[edit on 4-8-2008 by _Del_]

Originally posted by Skyfloating
The Hebrew word "chuwg" = circle.

The Hebrew word "duwr" = ball.

This is the word used in the relevant bible passages.

So at least the ancient hebrews saw the earth as a ball.

Duwr can be translated as circle or ball. It would be ignoring the entire cosmology of the Hebrews (and all the other ancient Semitic peoples) to claim that one ambiguous verse references a spherical earth.

reply to post by _Del_


So it was an exercise in contradicting indoctrination. OK.

Well, look at those ... hmm .. "people" - the myth is still up and running


Join the Flat Earth Society

Here are a few of our victories. . .

In the small town of Grass Roots, MO, one of our members has successfully infiltrated the public education system. By being hired on as a teacher in the district, she was able to gain a foothold that has allowed us to "replace" nearly every lower grade teacher in the entire town with loyal Flat Earthers. The students are now undergoing deprogramming measures and are expected to be released when they reach their mid-thirties.

After spending over sixteen million dollars and using over 48 thousand yards of industrial strength strapping tape, we of the Flat Earth Society were able to construct an enormously powerful neurotransmitter that can implant suggestions directly into the brains of the nearby non-Flat Earthers.

source



And, if there is someone here, who really believes this, more .. "theories"

www.lhup.edu...

reply to post by absente


As I remember the site you linked to is satire.

Charles Johnson held a cosmology very similar to ancient Semitic views on the flat earth. More interesting (to me) were Samuel Rowbotham and Thomas Winship who actually undertook experiments to "prove" the earth was flat.

reply to post by _Del_


Well according to my knowledge the site is not satire, it's his true believe. There are similar organizations of people, who believe in a flat earth, but i can't find them on Google. Will check my bookmarks and post again.

Bottom line - there are still people who believe in those theories.

Addressing the topic of Christopher Columbus's apparent trip around a spherical Earth, The Flat Earth Society's mission statement says, "Using an elaborate setup involving hundreds of mirrors and a few burlap sacks, [Christopher Columbus] was able to create an illusion so convincing that it was actually believed he had sailed around the entire planet and landed in the West Indies. As we now know, he did not." When confronted with scientific and technological evidence of a spherical Earth and a non-rigid sky in such forms as global circumnavigation, humans walking on the moon and satellite photos from space, Charles Johnson of the Flat Earth Society explains in this Flat Earth Society flyer:

... technology is not in any way related to the web of idiotic scientific theory. ALL inventors have been anti-science. The Wright brothers said: "Science theory held us up for years. When we threw out all science, started from experiment and experience, then we invented the airplane." By the way, airplanes all fly level on this Plane earth.

source

I think what Hanslune, in his OP, meant to say though, is that not everyone in the middle ages believed the earth is flat.

Who invented the idea of a flat Earth?

The earliest of these flat-Earth promoters was the African Lactantius (AD 245-325), a professional rhetorician who converted to Christianity mid-life.

He rejected all the Greek philosophers, and in doing so also rejected a spherical Earth. His views were considered heresy by the Church Fathers and his work was ignored until the Renaissance (at which time some humanists revived his writings as a model of good Latin, and of course, his flat Earth view also was revived).

more & source


more about Charles Johnson


NY Times Article

WiKi on "Flat Earth"

[edit on 4/8/08 by absente]

2AD copy of Greek original.

Its been a while since I've seen that fine statue. One side note I once spent six months discussing not the statue nor a spherical earth with an "unusual" individual who held that the right leg of the statue was leaning on a "clearly made" Mesoamerican pyramid.......

Ah the delights of old usenet

reply to post by C.C.Benjamin


You know that he is carrying the heavens and not the earth, do you not?

The BBC

Had a story about this on the 4th of August they must have been listening!

Nothing is more amazing than the flat-earthers to accept reality, they must live in a weird world. I wonder where they think the other planets are doing?

An amusing site on flat earth which seems to be making fun of the idea

The site

[edit on 6/8/08 by Hanslune]

Personally, I much more like the idea thatt the Disc is supported by four elephants standing on the back of a huge sea turtle.
The ancients sure did have some interesting stories.
(Yes, that's a Discworld reference, and yes, it's based roughly on (I think) Indian belief. Could be wrong though. Always wondered what would happen if the elephants sneezed...)

Its always interesting to think about how they viewed the world. Oh when the elephant sneezed you had earth quakes.

reply to post by RuneSpider


You're referring to Chukwa (or Akupara) and Maha-pudma, which is a Hindu belief. It inspired the "turtles all the way down" story.

reply to post by _Del_


Ah, thank you. I didn't know the actual name of the legend itself. I did hear of that story, though the version of the story I heard had the elephants instead.

reply to post by Hanslune



the greeks learned most of what is attributed to them from the egyptians. for instance the pythagorean theorem was found on the temple structures of ancient egypt. solon,plato,pythagorus and herodotus traveled to egypt be initiated and learn from the priests in 'ON".