# The spherical\* Earth conspiracy **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 3, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226 "2017-01-03T13:34:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/21 "2017-01-03T16:05:12Z")
It’s in the Bible so it must be true! ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/22 "2017-01-03T16:18:24Z")
Well, the Flat Earth means everything we ‘think’ we know about gravity is wrong … these effect are in fact a property of the æther that permeates the (static) universe … and let’s go ahead and throw out inertia … we need to get our circular orbital motion using ætherfoils (something like airfoils but act on the æther) without worrying about some silly ‘law of motion’ … this is why the historical records George Lucus brought back from the future shows all spacecraft having wings … they look aerodynamic, but that’s just because they’re ætherdynamic … If this doesn’t make complete sense to you … then I’ll warrant you didn’t take your stupid pills this morning … now did you? ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/23 "2017-01-03T16:19:19Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > So you’re telling me time zones don’t exist?? Who’s behind \*that \*scam??? The Swiss. It’s always the Swiss. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/24 "2017-01-03T16:21:29Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > They are all rabid Pratchett fans and believe that the Earth is a flat disc balanced on the backs of four elephants which in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle. The Turtle moves! ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/25 "2017-01-03T16:24:27Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > It’s in the Bible so it must be true! This is the core reason for the original Flat Earth Society people and such. The Bible makes it quite clear that the Earth is flat. Any denial of this Biblical Truth is the work of Satan who is very clever, etc. There have been _many_ threads here about this. Cf. my post [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18793644&postcount=30). Since then I saw an annotated map online done like in the 1800s that had a slew of Biblical quotes “proving” the Earth is flat around the outside. (Most of which dealt with the Earth being immovable, which doesn’t really imply flatness.) ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/26 "2017-01-03T16:26:48Z")
Interesting … The word “flat” only appears four times in the KJV of The Bible … once about someone’s nose and the others about things “falling flat” like city walls and such … “Disc” not at all … We’ll need someone far more skilled in the form of English the KJV is written in to establish this as certain … but my understanding was this idea of a Flat Earth came from some Pope looking for an excuse to off dissenters by labeling them as heretics … ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/27 "2017-01-03T16:32:44Z")
> [@Flat earth clowns!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earth-clowns/734934/30): > > Note that The Bible officially declares several times the flatness of the Earth (Matthew 4:8, etc.) and that the Sun, Moon, etc. all go around it … [snip] > [@](#): > > Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; > > – Mat 4:8 Huh? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/28 "2017-01-03T16:34:05Z")
Eh, belief in a flat Earth is still less crazy than a belief in homeopathy, or Reiki, or other kinds of alternative-to-medicine nonsense. Some people are just incurious to the point they believe in things to fit into a group, and refuse to probe their beliefs for basic rationality or even self-consistency. They have their side, they barrack for it, they go to the mat for it, but they could not provide a coherent description of what their side is _about_ other than that it’s _their_ side, so they’re for it, and if you’re not for it, you’re against it, innit? It’s a hard thing to wrap your head around if you’re more prone to introspection. It would be easy to say they’re all trolls, but when they troll themselves into things like, I dunno, dying of treatable diseases because their side believes in homeopathy or faith healing, that explanation begins to fall flat. Understanding trolls is easy; understanding someone who’s going to die in six months because their brain skips over the part where “I’ve been trying homeopathy” and “My disease is getting worse” leads to “I need to stop with the homeopathy” is a lot harder. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/29 "2017-01-03T16:42:16Z")
[Ever wonder why you don’t hear from the group Kansas any more?](http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/630/cover_575213862016_r.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/30 "2017-01-03T16:45:39Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Interesting … > > The word “flat” only appears four times in the KJV of The Bible … once about someone’s nose and the others about things “falling flat” like city walls and such … > > “Disc” not at all … > > We’ll need someone far more skilled in the form of English the KJV is written in to establish this as certain … but my understanding was this idea of a Flat Earth came from some Pope looking for an excuse to off dissenters by labeling them as heretics … Well, there’s Isaiah 40:22, which says: > [@](#): > > It is he[God] that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in So yeah, that implies a flat (or at least single-sided), circular earth with sky canopy over it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/31 "2017-01-03T16:46:11Z")
I spent a little time digging around their website and came away even more confused. The moon is a sphere, apparently. The earth isn’t, but the moon is. I have absolutely no understanding of why the sun sets in the west and rises in the east, and couldn’t follow their explanation of that phenomena in the slightest. Everything seems to hinge on “if you only had better magnification” you would see things that are obscured by the horizon (i.e., the curve of the earth). Their map was interesting, in a “look at the crazy people” way. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/32 "2017-01-03T16:49:04Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > [Ever wonder why you don’t hear from the group Kansas any more?](http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/630/cover_575213862016_r.jpg) Aha, the elusive picture (proof) of Columbus’ mysterious fourth ship, sailing off the edge of the earth. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/33 "2017-01-03T16:52:06Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Well, there’s Isaiah 40:22, which says: > > > [@](#): > > > > It is he[God] that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in > > So yeah, that implies a flat (or at least single-sided), circular earth with sky canopy over it. Good one … thanks … ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/34 "2017-01-03T16:55:01Z")
Old man, how can you hear that? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/35 "2017-01-03T17:03:05Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > So, if the earth is flat, how do satellites stay in orbit? Giants. > [@watchwolf49](#): > > If this doesn’t make complete sense to you … then I’ll warrant you didn’t take your stupid pills this morning … now did you? Oops. My bad. (Off to go take stupid pills.) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/36 "2017-01-03T17:05:14Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > The Turtle moves! So that’s why they’ve been having all those earthquakes in Oklahoma lately. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/37 "2017-01-03T17:45:32Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > So, if the earth is flat, how do satellites stay in orbit? The sun, moon and stars manage, so it must not be too difficult for satellites. All they have to do is calculate where the correct celestial sphere is. Then they just shoot them up there. Need plenty of fuel, so that they hit hard enough to stick. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/38 "2017-01-03T17:51:48Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > So, if the earth is flat, how do satellites stay in orbit? Gravity at the center of the disc works like those old airplane/helicopter toys on a length of wire where YOU played the part of Gravity. Or something. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/39 "2017-01-03T18:14:00Z")
> [@Willcross](#): > > He stated that basically when NASA and the Soviets sent up the first satellites, they discovered the earth was actually flat. This would cause the public to lose all confidence in NASA and pull all their funding since they were wrong for so long. If I were a legislator, and NASA came to me with info that implied a long-established fact was totally wrong, my response would be “here egghead, take this money and figure this shit out for us normies.” “I hold your budgets accountable for the veracity of ancient Greek theories,” is the kind of dumb crap a conspiracy theorist would enforce. Nothing personal **Willcross** , I’m sure you aren’t a flat-earther. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226/40 "2017-01-03T18:36:12Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Er … Umm … [**Geoid**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoid) is the correct term for the shape of the Earth … it’s not strictly an oblate spheroid (a.k.a. ellipsoid) … very close but not exact … :smack: > [@Willcross](#): > > I can’t speak for them all, but I asked the same question of someone who claimed to be a flat earth believer. > > He stated that basically when NASA and the Soviets sent up the first satellites, they discovered the earth was actually flat. This would cause the public to lose all confidence in NASA and pull all their funding since they were wrong for so long. So to keep the money coming in, NASA and the world faked the photos and results to keep the public thinking the earth is round. This way they can continue to make satellites and earning money. > > He kept saying things like “It costs 2 billion in funding for Nasa to launch a satellite or probe. They don’t want to lose that money.” I realize this makes zero sense but that was the logic of at least one of those people. Interesting, thanks for the response. I wonder why he thought the conspiracy originated and continued in the first place? I’m not clear on whether they buy into the [myth of the flat Earth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth_of_the_flat_Earth), that is that belief in a flat Earth was either widespread or the motive of Columbus was to disprove it. > [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > I spent a little time digging around their website and came away even more confused. The moon is a sphere, apparently. The earth isn’t, but the moon is. I have absolutely no understanding of why the sun sets in the west and rises in the east, and couldn’t follow their explanation of that phenomena in the slightest. > > Everything seems to hinge on “if you only had better magnification” you would see things that are obscured by the horizon (i.e., the curve of the earth). > > Their map was interesting, in a “look at the crazy people” way. I suspect we’ve been looking at the [same site](https://www.theflatearthsociety.org/forum/index.php?topic=11211.0) which made my head hurt too, hence why I put it to the teeming millions. The way they explained night and day cycles was that the sun was a ‘spotlight’ that moves around the north pole. If you really want to have fun check out their explanation of why a [ship’s hull ‘sinks’ below the horizon](http://www.sacred-texts.com/earth/za/za32.htm#page_201). Amateur balloon footage of the curvature of the Earth are also all due to fish-eye lenses, otherwise the horizon would be flat. My favourite is the explanation for gravity, which is another vast conspiracy; > [@](#): > > **Why doesn’t gravity pull the earth into a spherical shape?** > > The earth isn’t pulled into a sphere because the force known as gravity doesn’t exist or at least exists in a greatly diminished form than is commonly taught. Roald Amundsen and every other Antarctic expedition is in on it too; > [@](#): > > The earth is surrounded on all sides by an ice wall that holds the oceans back. This ice wall is what explorers have named Antarctica. Beyond the ice wall is a topic of great interest to the Flat Earth Society. To our knowledge, no one has been very far past the ice wall and returned to tell of their journey. We’re through the looking glass here, people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spherical-earth-conspiracy/776226.md?page=3)