Is the world really round?

[HououinKiyoma]

We've all been taught that the world is round but a few days ago, while commenting in a pic taken from the ISS I noticed that the comment above miine had some anti NASA rant so i dropped by his account.

I came to know that he belongs to the body of flat earth theorists and his account had some pretty decent claims. I hadnt verified the evidence yet but some facts did add up and made pretty good sense.

If you add to the fact that most of them have the knowledge of physics equivalent to a foetus and the debating skills of a baboon, I had a pretty hard time clearing a few of my doubts to some of his rather far fetched claims.

1. He believes that the Bible is Geocentric and it makes Man important as God's best creation.

2. Gravity doesnt exist and objects fall due to them having a density greater than air, like how things float or sink in water

3. The continents are arranged as https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi5kNHr5qLMAhWMW44KHXDIAkoQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FAzimuthal_equidistant_projection&psig=AFQjCNHKE7mBM8P4ufK6vP2co0hWNaVqWw&ust=1461433674382358

So i ask if anyone of you gentlemen/women are flat earthers and why you feel it makes sense. The round eathers also put your points forth

Also I've attached a pic to make you guys realize how civilized we debators are XD
The guy later blocked me as he probably didnt know an answer to what i was saying .

For the record, I'm round earthed

[Judean Zealot]

I don't think this discussion should even be dignified with a thread.

[Emerald Dream]

We've had this discussion before (http://www.virtualteen.org/forums/showthread.php?t=226356) - it was ridiculous then, and it's ridiculous now.

[sqishy]

Even if I granted everything to you, I could ask you to construct a really big triangle with straight sides on some large locally flat dry region of Earth (no mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes etc), measure all of the angles with good accuracy, and show that it is lying on curved space, because the sum of the angles will be more than 180 degrees.
In other words, it's not flat.

I would gladly accompany you with this task if we were given the opportunity to do so.


So, aside from literal (not insulting-wise) self-centered views of the world being small enough that a flat world is more meaningful than anything else (some small-scale relativism where the limits of your memory/thought define the horizons of the world), I don't see much worth coming out of this.


1. He believes that the Bible is Geocentric and it makes Man important as God's best creation.

Geocentrism and the importance of humanity need not be seen as one entailing the other.


2. Gravity doesnt exist and objects fall due to them having a density greater than air, like how things float or sink in water

I'm going to assume you are alright with the existence of airplanes and high-altitude balloons, so I wonder why you draw the line between that and sounding rockets and spacecraft (I assume too).


3. The continents are arranged as [azimuthal equidistant projection]


This theory has a major issue in explaining how the lengths on Australia appear 'equal'/translatable to lengths on Greenland when in fact they are not, which I count as a similar issue to the triangle example I mention.

Also, I don't get why it needs be the North Pole instead of the South (relatively a minor issue, but sounds like stretching our mapping to the reality of what we map).

[Leprous]

FINALLY another one of these! Reise let's have some fun shall we?

thecommonguy Can you explain a few things for me? First of all, timezones, after that explain to me why we have seasons. Then explain why Australia's seasons are on the opposite moment than in Europe for example. Literally no claims that the earth is flat are even 'decent' as all of them can be proven wrong pretty easily.

[lyhom]

when did b.o.b (http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/neil-degrasse-tyson-has-online-rap-battle-flat-earth-rapper-bob-0) get a vt account lmao

[HououinKiyoma]

marb121 I'm a round earther just wanted to see what you guys think

[Microcosm]

The spherical shape of the Earth has been proven. People have gone into space from different countries. It explains time zones(as previously mentioned) and how the moon orbits the Earth. Just look into the sky.

This discussion is super outdated, like... centuries outdated.

[StoppingTom]

when did b.o.b (http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/neil-degrasse-tyson-has-online-rap-battle-flat-earth-rapper-bob-0) get a vt account lmao

^^UNDERRATED POST^^

Just reading threads like this makes my blood pressure skyrocket.

[Stronk Serb]

Even the ancient Greeks have proven the Earth is spherical. If you put a stick in upper Egypt at one time and put a stick into the earth in Greece at the same exact time and measure the shadoe, you will see that it is different. The Greeks did it with Upper and Lower Egypt. Also they rougly calculated the diameter of Earth. Also if the Earth is flat, people would see the Americas ovethe Atlantic with some sort of telescope, or if you would climb on Mont Everest, you will be able to see Europe with an advanced telescope, which you ckearly can't because it's on the other side of the globe.

[Zbmrnb16]

I'd go into detail about why any claims he make are bullshit, but it's not worth my time.

[ImCoolBeans]

I don't know how this thought could even be entertained... It is extremely old news that the Earth is not flat. We're talking classical era...