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Theory

Flat Earth theory

Flat Earth theory

Summary

Headline Finding:

Belief in a flat Earth, despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, has seen a resurgence since the 2010s, driven largely by conspiracy theories and social media platforms that foster community and misinformation.

Key Findings:

  • Ancient civilizations like Egyptians and Mesopotamians believed in a disc-shaped Earth encircled by an ocean [1][7].
  • Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras and Aristotle provided early arguments for a spherical Earth around the 6th to 4th centuries BC, with Aristotle offering empirical evidence through lunar eclipses [1][2][9].
  • Medieval Europeans did not generally believe in a flat Earth; this is a historical fabrication created in the 17th century and popularized in the 19th century [1][7][9].
  • Modern studies show less than 2% acceptance of flat Earth theories across all age groups, with only 82% of American respondents aged 18–24 affirming belief in a round Earth in 2018 [1].
  • The modern revival of the flat Earth theory began in the 19th century with Samuel Rowbotham's experiments and publications like "Earth Not a Globe" [5][7].
  • Contemporary flat Earthers argue that gravity is an illusion, suggest Antarctica acts as an icy barrier surrounding the Earth, and propose various models including a disk-shaped Earth centered at the North Pole [4][5].

Disagreements:

  • While some studies indicate less than 2% acceptance of flat Earth theories, other surveys show higher rates, such as about 10 percent of respondents agreeing that the Earth is flat, with millennials showing an even higher agreement rate (18%) [1][10].

Open Questions:

  • What specific factors contribute to the resurgence of flat Earth beliefs in modern times?
  • How can scientific institutions effectively combat misinformation and rebuild public trust amidst a growing skepticism towards official sources?
  • Why do certain age groups, particularly millennials, show higher agreement rates with flat Earth theories compared to older generations?

Sources

Per-source notes

Flat Earth - Wikipedia

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth_theory>

  • Despite scientific evidence to the contrary, belief in a flat Earth has seen a resurgence since the 2010s.
  • Ancient societies like Egyptians and Mesopotamians believed in a disc-shaped Earth encircled by an ocean.
  • Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras and Aristotle provided early arguments for a spherical Earth around the 6th to 4th centuries BC, with Aristotle offering empirical evidence for this shape.
  • By the Christian era, belief in a spherical Earth was widespread except among some Chinese scholars who maintained that Earth was flat until Jesuit missionaries introduced modern astronomy in the 17th century.
  • The myth of medieval Europeans believing in a flat Earth is a historical fabrication created in the 17th and popularized in the 19th centuries to critique Catholic teachings.
  • Recent studies show less than 2% acceptance of flat Earth theories across all age groups, with only 82% of American respondents aged 18–24 affirming belief in a round Earth in 2018.

Flat Earth - Wikipedia

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth>

  • Despite scientific evidence to the contrary, belief in a flat Earth has seen a resurgence as a conspiracy theory since the 2010s.

Key points:

  • Ancient societies like Egyptians and Mesopotamians believed in a flat disc Earth surrounded by water.
  • The concept of a spherical Earth emerged with ancient Greeks; Aristotle provided empirical evidence for it around 330 BC.
  • Medieval Europeans did not generally believe in a flat Earth, contrary to popular myth.
  • In China, the belief in a flat square Earth persisted until Jesuit missionaries introduced European astronomy in the 17th century.
  • Modern studies show that less than 2% of people firmly believe in a flat Earth.

Flat Earthers: What They Believe and Why

<https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/flat-earthers-what-they-believe-and-why/>

  • Flat Earth believers are not monolithic; some think Earth is a disk while others believe it's an infinite plane.
  • The movement gained traction in 2016 due to YouTube videos by Eric Dubay ("200 Proofs Earth Is Not a Spinning Ball") and Mark Sargent ("Flat Earth Clues").
  • Early flat earth arguments were complex, involving relativity and gravity, which limited the movement's growth until simplified proofs made it more accessible.
  • Michael Marshall from the Good Thinking Society investigates pseudoscience to understand why people believe in fringe ideas and how to prevent misinformation.

Flat earth | Science | Research Starters | EBSCO Research

<https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/science/flat-earth>

  • Despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, flat Earth beliefs persist and have seen a resurgence in modern times.

Key points:

  • Ancient civilizations like Egyptians and Babylonians believed in a flat Earth until Greek mathematicians around 500 BCE provided evidence of a spherical Earth.
  • During the Dark Ages, some interpretations of biblical texts led to a temporary revival of flat Earth ideas.
  • The Age of Discovery solidified belief in a round Earth, but the concept re-emerged in the early 19th century among Christian fundamentalists who viewed modern science as conspiratorial.
  • Modern proponents argue that gravity is an illusion and suggest Antarctica acts as an icy barrier surrounding the Earth.
  • Flat Earth conventions and social media platforms have fostered a community for this belief, leading to public debates and controversies.
  • Notable figures from popular culture have expressed flat Earth views, highlighting ongoing visibility of this unconventional perspective.

Modern flat Earth beliefs - Wikipedia

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_flat_Earth_beliefs>

  • Modern flat Earth beliefs are anti-scientific and have gained recent traction through social media, despite over two millennia of scientific consensus supporting a spherical Earth.
  • Samuel Rowbotham initiated modern flat Earth belief in the 19th century with his Bedford Level experiment and publications like "Earth Not a Globe."
  • Flat Earth theories suggest Earth is a disc centered at the North Pole, bounded by an ice wall (Antarctica), with celestial bodies positioned much closer than mainstream science asserts.
  • Key figures include Samuel Shenton, who founded the International Flat Earth Research Society in 1956, and Charles K. Johnson, who led the American branch of the society from 1972 to 2004, growing membership to around 3,500.
  • Despite satellite images proving otherwise, flat Earthers like Shenton and Johnson have maintained their beliefs through alternative explanations or accusations of conspiracy.
  • Flat Earth beliefs are often motivated by religious convictions or conspiracy theories and are classified as science denial by experts.

The Flat Earth Theory: is Evidence-Based Physiotherapy a Sphere?

<https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8023606/>

Physiotherapy practices have been influenced by trends and biases rather than solid scientific evidence, leading to fragmented clinical approaches.

  • Confirmation bias has led to rapid changes in physiotherapy practice without proper evaluation.
  • Telerehabilitation became widely adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic but was previously just a promising addition; its risks were often overlooked.
  • Management of patellofemoral pain and spine disorders have seen multiple theoretical shifts, from VMO strengthening to gluteal reinforcement, with insufficient evidence supporting these changes.
  • The biopsychosocial model is applied rigidly, often trivializing the biological domain and leading to debates over hands-on versus hands-off interventions.
  • Exercise science expertise among physiotherapists remains limited; they lack skills in risk assessment and translating exercise knowledge to symptomatic populations.
  • Psychological interventions are based on outdated models, while newer paradigms like positive psychology better align with current professional needs.

The article calls for more cautious changes in clinical practice based on solid evidence rather than trends.

Flat Earth | Theory, Model, Meaning, & Facts | Britannica

<https://www.britannica.com/topic/flat-Earth>

  • The flat Earth theory posits that Earth is a flat disk, despite overwhelming scientific evidence proving its spherical shape.
  • Ancient civilizations worldwide believed in various forms of flat Earth models due to limited observational technology:

- Egyptians and Mesopotamians viewed Earth as a disk surrounded by an ocean with the heavens arching above. - Anaximander (610–546 BCE) saw Earth as a flat disk atop a cylinder. - Norse cosmology depicted Earth encircled by an ocean, centered around a world tree or pillar.

  • The modern revival of flat Earth theory began in the 1830s with Samuel Birley Rowbotham's commune and gained traction through social media starting in the early 2000s.
  • Contemporary flat Earth models vary:

- Some echo ancient views, with a dome of stars rotating above a disk-shaped Earth. - Others claim the Sun and Moon are small (50 km diameter) and circle at low heights (5,500 km). - A few propose that Antarctica extends infinitely in all directions or that Earth accelerates upward to simulate gravity.

  • The appeal of flat Earth theories is linked to:

- Mistrust of official scientific sources. - Proliferation of conspiracy theories. - Group loyalty and community identification. - Spread through social media.

  • Scientists combat these beliefs by emphasizing rigorous evidence-based science, rebuilding public trust in scientific institutions, and addressing concerns seriously rather than dismissively.

Why the Earth is actually 100% flat | Dean Burnett

<https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2016/jan/26/earth-totally-flat-conspiracy-bob>

  • The article is satirical and argues that Earth is flat through absurd logic and conspiracy theories to critique belief in unfounded claims.

Key points:

  • Rapper B.o.B.'s tweets about a flat Earth are dismissed as nonsense by scientists, but the author humorously expands on this idea.
  • Tall structures like buildings and mountains are claimed not to exist due to hallucinogens secreted by shape-shifting lizards controlling society.
  • Mount Everest is said to be non-existent; climbers who die there were killed to protect the conspiracy.
  • Chemtrails are purportedly used to spread these hallucinogenic compounds.
  • The Earth's thickness is suggested to be at least 7 miles based on ocean depth, and possibly cubic in shape.
  • The article concludes with a nod to cognitive biases that lead people to believe in conspiracies despite lack of evidence.

Flat Earth - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

<https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth>

  • The flat Earth theory is a superseded scientific concept that suggests the Earth's surface is flat rather than spherical; it has been known to be false since at least Classical Greece.
  • Ancient Mesopotamian maps depicted the world as a flat disk floating in an ocean, but by 330 BC, Aristotle established that the Earth was roughly spherical. Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the Earth accurately around 276–194 BC.
  • The belief in a spherical Earth became widespread among educated people after the voyages of exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries, such as those by Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan.
  • In modern times, Samuel Rowbotham revived the flat Earth movement in the 19th century with his book "Zetetic Astronomy," claiming experiments proved a flat Earth. Today, groups like the Flat Earth Society continue to promote this belief.
  • The myth that medieval scholars believed in a flat Earth is not true; it was largely debunked by historians such as Jeffrey Burton Russell.
  • In literature and fantasy fiction, a flat Earth often appears as an imaginative setting, for example, in C.S. Lewis's "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series.

Where Did the Flat Earth Theory Come From?

<https://scienceinsights.org/where-did-the-flat-earth-theory-come-from/>

  • The flat Earth theory originated in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt as a logical explanation based on observable phenomena but was disproven by Greek astronomers around 240 BCE.
  • Ancient civilizations, including Egyptians and Babylonians, imagined Earth as a flat disk beneath a domed sky due to the apparent flatness of the ground and the dome-like appearance of the sky.
  • The Greeks, starting with Pythagoras in the sixth century BCE, determined that Earth was spherical based on observations during lunar eclipses and Eratosthenes' measurements using geometry.
  • Medieval Europeans did not believe the Earth was flat; this misconception originated from Washington Irving's fictional account in 1828.
  • Samuel Rowbotham revived the flat Earth theory in the 1800s by conducting experiments on a straight stretch of water, claiming he could see flags that should have been obscured by curvature due to atmospheric refraction.
  • The modern flat Earth movement gained traction through the International Flat Earth Research Society and was revitalized via YouTube starting around 2011.
  • A U.S. survey found that about 10 percent of respondents agreed the Earth is flat, with millennials showing a higher agreement rate (18%) compared to older generations.
  • The resurgence of flat Earth belief correlates more with institutional skepticism than ignorance of basic science and has been amplified by social media algorithms.

--- _Generated locally by ClaudeClaw research on Spark 2_ _Topic row #65 in claudeclaw.db on dgx2_

--- _Synthesized from open-web sources on 2026-05-18. Node in conspiracyg knowledge graph. Showing the connections, not the verdict._

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