Flat Earthers

[LZA]

This has always baffled me. With all the knowledge out there I can't comprehend how people can think the Earth is flat. I know there are other  things that can be debated (aliens, religion vs. science in determing when the Earth was created, etc), but we weren't there and while I have my beliefs on those, I can't say one way or another on those subjects. HERE AND NOW, it can be proven that the Earth is round, so I don't get it.  It's like saying the sun isn't hot or water isn't wet...

The info is all here. I don't believe there is a debate but I think (from my perspective) people want to define their identity as "out of the box"thinkers, or people who won't allow themselves to have the wool pulled over their eyes, so they try to adopt weird stances to be different and therefore think they are interesting. I did that too when I was high... I wasn't interesting, I was out of my mind stupid.

Their points are crazy and contradictory. It's like they want to argue a point just to argue. Like a trending Fagbook post from the flat earthers society saying they have members "all around the globe"

These are the people who are the supposed experts. Yes, it may be semantics, but WTF, if they are correct can't they explain in verbiage that makes sense to them that doesn't contradict themselves?

I tried to look into their viewpoints and see from their point of view, but only found a source of comedy and proof that insane people use computers too. Any points they make seem to work against their stance the earth is flat...

I don't want to sound like a narrow minded jerk, so I I'm going to steal a bit from the "Louder With Crowder" podcast, called Change my mind.  I say the Earth is round, There are pictures showing the curvature, We have the need for time zones showing the Earth rotates (if it was flat and rotated like a wheel, the sun would still shine directly on everything), and the sun and all the other planet are round (to name a few points). CHANGE MY MIND.

Do you guys agree, disagree? I think it's an identity issue that makes them look for alternate facts and overlook science. Is there any other reason why they think like this? As out of my mind crazy as I once was (still probably am), I NEVER thought the Earth was flat...

[wildcard]

Have you ever heard of The Dunner-Kruger Effect? Basically, people of low intelligence tend to believe conspiracy theories more readily than intelligent people due to their lack of intelligent reasoning, but also because those people who lack anything to brag about intellectually love to think they know something that no one else knows.

So they are too stupid to see through the bullshit and just stupid enough to make them think they are smart for being privy to a "secret."

[LZA]

Have you ever heard of The Dunner-Kruger Effect? Basically, people of low intelligence tend to believe conspiracy theories more readily than intelligent people due to their lack of intelligent reasoning, but also because those people who lack anything to brag about intellectually love to think they know something that no one else knows.

So they are too stupid to see through the bullshit and just stupid enough to make them think they are smart for being privy to a "secret."

I'm going to look this up; thanks for the link. My thoughts were going in that direction, but I didn't realize (but should have known) it was labeled already.

I guess that's why I brought up semantics in my OP. The English language labels things that exist. Since flat-earthers don't have their own verbiage to describe what they are talking about, it further proves it's because they are describing points that don't exist in reality.

But no, I've never heard of Dunner-Kruger specifically.

[wildcard]

I only recently heard of it, but it explains so much for me.

[LZA]

I only recently heard of it, but it explains so much for me.

For me too. Not only for flat earther type low lever thinkers but higher intelligent people that assume everyone else knows what they know too (the thought that comes to my mind is the SNL skit of the I.T. guy who gets mad no one understands computers like they do.

I think Intelligence/stupidity are more verbs than nouns, as people really act stupid/smart, but possess strengths/weaknesses on things. And because of that, I can't actually judge the I.T. people OR flat-earthers, because if I remember the past, I've been guilty of the Dunner-Kruger effect on both the low and high scales (thinking I was smarter than I was, and not realizing that people may not get things as easy as I do in some things)

So what I'm getting, is being open-minded, knowing your opinions can be wrong and the ability to adjust them if new info arises can avoid this pitfall. It almost makes me think the Dunning-Kruger effect can be summed up in another word: arrogance.

And most of these flat-earthers who think they are right don't have the capacity to change their opinion, yet...

This explains the "why", but I'm wondering about the "how?" this happened. It sounds like because it's labeled that people were always like this but with the invent of internet/social media we are now discovering people are like this... Combined with the fact that the culture has changed to accept all opinions (even wrong), give people the feeling they don't need to think before speaking. Just like you don't have to try before doing because you'll still get your last place trophy, ya know?

People are now emboldened to not try to be correct; almost like they are confusing the definition of "their specific opinions" with "proven facts"

(This post was last modified: 09-25-2018, 11:35 PM by LZA.)

[Howard Roark]

If you ever have a discussion with a flat earther, ask them to explain the Coriolis Force.
I struggled for a long time with them because they seem to have an answer for everything (much of the explanations are outlandish) but when I confronted them with explaining why toilet water spins in different directions at different global positions, which could not happen if the earth were flat and we were all on the same relative plane, they were stumped.
After many religious and scientific debate points, I won the argument with a toilet reference.
Quite satisfying.

[wildcard]

If you ever have a discussion with a flat earther, ask them to explain the Coriolis Force.

I have never argued with a flat earther, and probably won't, but if I ever do, this is going to be my go-to.

Thanks.

[politux]

[Serpius]

Have you ever heard of The Dunner-Kruger Effect? Basically, people of low intelligence tend to believe conspiracy theories more readily than intelligent people due to their lack of intelligent reasoning, but also because those people who lack anything to brag about intellectually love to think they know something that no one else knows.

So they are too stupid to see through the bullshit and just stupid enough to make them think they are smart for being privy to a "secret."

This may or may not be construed as off-topic, but...

Similar thought process goes on a daily basis on social media.

You have the cyberbullies, the clueless dolts, the "I'm Right and You're Wrong" dingbats, all are hiding behind the computer monitor (or phone screen, tablet screen... you get the idea...).

Those people feel emboldened to make comments so that there won't be any recourse for the public to respond to.

All you have to do is read the daily Twitter-fest from our traitor of a president, Donald 'The Liar' Trump. He constantly posts Tweets that are false like 99% of the time, but there are no recourses by the general public to respond to his idiotic Tweets.

So, these 'Flat Earthers' are using similar methodologies to promote their idiotic platform, which is crumbling more and more everyday.

[srijantje]

i wonder what you see when you climb the great"icewall"and look down the other side