Let’s say I offer take all of the major Flat Earth proponents to space and then do so with those that volunteered. Assume I have hold-harmless agreements and releases so I can video them and publish the videos and I allow them to bring any scientific equipment they want and anything else to prove that what I am doing is fake. I intend to interview them on what they observe and then put them to the ultimate test of their convictions. And they knew all of this was part of the plan before they agreed.
I offer them space suits if they want and then take them to the airlock room with hooks that they can attach to their spacesuit. According to the hold-harmless I tell them we are in space so:
If they open the airlock and there is no air and they die because they don’t have a spacesuit on - I am not responsible.
If they step out and float away in space, whether or not wearing a spacesuit - I am not responsible and recovery is not guarantied.
So am I legally responsible, either criminally or civilly, if they truly believe in the Flat Earth and asphyxiate or get blown out into space because they didn’t believe me? This thread is NOT to discuss Flat Earth, Flearthers, burden of proof, etc. It is only for the legal issues behind my plan.
IANAL, but it could be argued that bringing people who are clearly delusional and unable to understand the most basic of concepts into a dangerous environment and expecting them to follow safety instructions that they may not believe to be necessary and intentionally flout in order to prove their delusions to be real may make you liable for their injuries and death.
IOW, if you should have known that they wouldn’t follow safety instructions, then them not following them becomes your fault, not theirs.
IANAL but I’d speculate that you would face criminal charges.
While your passengers might be true believers in flearthism and sincerely believe they faced no danger by leaving the spacecraft, you do not share their beliefs. You were aware that they were endangering their lives and you created the opportunity for them to do so.
Normal duty of care obligations require you to not assume the other person has perfect knowledge. I’m sure many (?most) accidents happen because people acted with good faith on imperfect knowledge [of course the power is off, the handbrake is on, this is a good camping spot etc].
I don’t think a court would excuse you from arranging something that had a high risk of fatality just because the person was an idiot, esp where being an idiot increased the risk of pressing the Red Button. Also, you’ve acknowledged the risk so you are obliged to manage that risk with something more than a legal waiver.
I believe that even Flat Earthers acknowledge that the air gets thinner as you ascend (though the reasons may vary) so it would not be obvious that one would insist on not wearing a spacesuit when opening the airlock. So that could be an out. I suspect the trial would hinge on the mental state of Flat Earthers, which would be interesting.
Flearthers are nothing if not inconsistent. Some believe space doesn’t exist at all. Some do, but that we can’t get through God’s Crystal Sphere™. I’m sure some would think we were really in a big hanger projecting CGI into the windows.
This plot would be tried as intentional murder ?
You have an exit, and tell them "flatearthers, exit this way ", and so when they do, they are dead
Even if the sign says “flatearthers, this way, but you will die”. It might be argued they could have misunderstood the sign.
Someone else pointed out, where are you that it would be safe if the earth was flat, and dangerous if it isn’t ? Well I guess you wouldnt have to go to space for that. You could do it on large flat desert… eg down at South Australia, the ocean is just nearby and so the sea level could be used as a “flat” level ?? so they could know its very very flat (remains the same height above sea level.)
You build a 100km railway line that is straight, left right straight and up down straight too… so if the earth was flat, then its height would remain constant, 1 metre… But if the earth was not flat , then the trainline would now be so high into the air …
IIRC, there’s a comic book where a killer asks a priest some pointed questions about transubstantiation before feeding the guy a poisoned communion wafer that doesn’t, y’know, actually stop being poisoned.
I’m vaguely reminded of the guy who thought a book would stop a bullet from a Desert Eagle. Just because somebody sincerely believes that everything will be OK seems unlikely to absolve you of ALL responsibility. Certainly doesn’t work in paternity cases.
