# Do flat earthers actually believe their stated beliefs? Or are they just having a laugh at taking up space in our heads? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 18, 2024, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380 "2024-11-18T02:00:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/1 "2024-11-18T02:00:32Z")
I personally don’t know anyone that claims to be a FE believer. Granted, I don’t talk with legions of people, so the sample pool is relatively small. The reason I doubt is that it is so easy to disprove. I can go onto Amazon and buy everything I need to send a GoPro into the upper atmosphere and safely recover it for less than $500. There are plenty of YT videos doing just that. If that’s to steep for one person, surely they can come up with two or three friends to split the cost. Hell, I’d even chip in to be part of the experience. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/2 "2024-11-18T02:04:05Z")
Previous threads on topic: Feb 2024: > [@Are Most Flat Earthers Trolls?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-flat-earthers-trolls/997011): > > I have been getting lots of flat earth posts in my FB feed lately. It is all so crazy. I know a few people believe it, but is it mostly trolling like the Birds Aren’t Real folks? If not, god help us Apr 2020: > [@Thoughts While In Quarantine - WRT The Flat Earthers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-while-in-quarantine-wrt-the-flat-earthers/851411): > > Sitting and chatting with my daughter got me to thinking, do you all think that the Flat Earth people are truly earnest in what they are spouting, or rather that it is somewhat akin to “belief” in The Flying Spaghetti Monster? I want to believe it is the latter, but my daughter insists they are nutso and truly believe the planet to be a disk over a sphere. I just do not understand how people who can, presumably, dress and feed themselves without assistance can swallow such a large fallacy. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/3 "2024-11-18T02:07:44Z")
Damn. Called myself looking and didn’t find anything more recent than 2019. Guess I’ll read those for a while. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/4 "2024-11-18T02:19:57Z")
I just searched for the word “flat” in the title since 2020-01-01 then visually scanned the resulting list of 40ish threads. There might be more that somehow left hat key word “falt” from their titles. Or that I missed in the list that does have “flat” in its title. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/5 "2024-11-18T02:44:32Z")
At first I thought, nah they’re just having a piss to mess with people but now there are people who believe what Alex Jones says. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/6 "2024-11-18T02:46:09Z")
I know at least one who is quite genuine/sincere about the belief. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/7 "2024-11-18T03:20:38Z")
Have you watched any of the videos with the sovereign citizens. Their nonsense is also so easy to disprove, yet they’re a growing herd. And a number of them are also flat earthers. They’re immune to logic, reason, and the way science is correctly done. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/8 "2024-11-18T03:54:08Z")
I’ve know 2 flat earthers. One was very much just trolling while the other was very much a True Believer. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/9 "2024-11-18T03:54:21Z")
We used to have a general contractor who was a flat earther. He definitely believed it for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/10 "2024-11-18T03:54:21Z")
The answer to the OP is- Both. Some are sincere- and you cant argue them out of it. Some are just fooling around- and you cant argue them out if it either. Same with Moon landing deniers\*, and nearly any conspiracy cultists. - well one astronaut made his point very strongly. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/11 "2024-11-18T03:59:20Z")
One new data point is “The final experiment”; basically a (somewhat) wealthy guy has offered to pay a number of prominent flat earthers, and prominent “globe earthers” to go to Antarctica next month and see the 24 hour sun, something both sides agree would prove that the earth is round. …or at least they used to. Because, somewhat predictably, faced with the prospect of their worldview collapsing (as well as their income stream) several flerfers have now said a 24 hour sun will prove nothing, despite previously saying otherwise on their own channels. In answer to the OP, I would say it is complicated. While there was a period where the vast majority were just trolling, it’s a very committed group now IME. But just like with the final experiment, most will make excuses when it comes to testing their ideas, indicating a lack of actual confidence. For example, I’m on a discussion forum where there is a poster “noodles” who has posted literally thousands of times about flat earth – far beyond the level of patience a troll would have. However, when I’ve suggested he do things like see the moons of Jupiter in a telescope, he suddenly has an urgent appointment for every remaining night of his life. So do we call that “true” belief or not? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/12 "2024-11-18T04:09:24Z")
I don’t understand why Round-Earthers use such elaborate arguments to persuade Flat Earthers instead of just the more direct approach: that even cameras mounted on homemade backyard rockets, when reaching an altitude of 90,000 feet or so, clearly show Earth curvature. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/13 "2024-11-18T04:16:29Z")
Recent events have shown me that there are a lot more people that believe what is easy and convenient rather than what is real than I thought. A _hell_ of a lot more. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/14 "2024-11-18T04:18:38Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Because, somewhat predictably, faced with the prospect of their worldview collapsing (as well as their income stream) several flerfers have now said a 24 hour sun will prove nothing, Right- they can not be convinced. Even taking them up in orbit wouldn’t do it. > [@Velocity](#): > > I don’t understand why Round-Earthers use such elaborate arguments to persuade Flat Earthers instead of just the more direct approach: that even cameras mounted on homemade backyard rockets, when reaching an altitude of 90,000 feet or so, clearly show Earth curvature. Wouldn’t work- 'faked" ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/15 "2024-11-18T04:39:16Z")
Actually this one has nuance / wiggle room. Most lenses have some degree of fish eyeness\*, and the amount of curvature that’s visible in earth’s atmosphere is small. I know it’s possible to do the math and calculate how much of the curvature is real, but flerfers arent great at maths, and aren’t likely to be convinced this way. \* I’m not a camera guy ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/16 "2024-11-18T04:54:50Z")
Fair enough. In general, I find the best defense is a good offense. Instead of trying to debunk their claims, go on the attack. Just say, “If you believe the Earth is flat, I believe you have no fingers.” If they show you their fingers, just say they’re faking it. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/17 "2024-11-18T05:29:37Z")
My Son likes to eff with people about these things. To the point he’s in a Bigfoot hunting club, of sorts(they mainly drink beer and lie). He believes none of it. He is kinda sunk into the preparedness thinking lifestyle. Which is more of a sustainability and protection from outside forces. He certainly doesn’t believe in a zombie apocalypse or sun flares are gonna do it. Doesnt stop him from spouting the gibberish for S&Gs on a Sunday afternoon. When he’s bored. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/18 "2024-11-18T05:37:18Z")
There is that flat-earther documentary where, at the end, they spent a lot of money to prove the earth was flat. Of course, their experiment failed to prove a flat earth and instead proved round earth. I’d think that going to those lengths and spending a lot of money suggests they were true believers. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/19 "2024-11-18T05:45:30Z")
Yeah. There was a documentary about “Proof there really were mermaids” People bought that crap hook, line and sinker. (Pun intended, a real fish story) Some folks are easily swayed into believing stuff. Like @Czarcasm says, I, too never knew how much til recently. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2024, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380/20 "2024-11-18T07:17:58Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I don’t understand why Round-Earthers use such elaborate arguments to persuade Flat Earthers instead of just the more direct approach: that even cameras mounted on homemade backyard rockets, when reaching an altitude of 90,000 feet or so, clearly show Earth curvature. That’s just playing into their hands. You don’t ask them to confirm your beliefs - you demand that they prove theirs. The world is flat? Fine. Then show me the edge. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flat-earthers-actually-believe-their-stated-beliefs-or-are-they-just-having-a-laugh-at-taking-up-space-in-our-heads/1010380.md?page=2)