The last 50-60 years or so has seen a resurgence of flat earth ideology, which has increased since the digital revolution-shocking people around the globe. It can seem rather surprising for a modern society to have any semblance of globe denial, as scientific truths and technology are so completely ingrained in our culture and satellite imagery is abundant. So, in order to comprehend why people are inclined to dismiss such well established knowledge, one must first recognize the different avenues flat earth ideology has manifested. Flat earth belief is based primarily on 3 interconnected manifestations of distrust: conspiracy theories, science denial, and Biblical literalism (which I like to call “Biblicism”).
Conspiracism
The good ol’ fashioned conspiracy theory. People have a tendency to dwell on conspiracy theories for a number of different reasons. Humans are a story telling species and conspiracies make good stories. Humans have an evolutionary trait to finding patterns where none exist (this is a cognitive bias known as apophenia). But, even considering all that, humans like to confirm what they already believe (confirmation bias).
Research has shown that when confirmation bias is combined with conspiracy theories, it triggers a phenomenon known as a monological belief system. “The view of the world as a place ruled by conspiracies can lead to conspiracy becoming the default explanation for any given event-a unitary, closed-off worldview in which beliefs come together in a mutually supportive network known as a monological belief system” (Wood, Douglas, & Sutton, 2012). This gives the conspiracist the ability to build a worldview based on distrust of any one or multiple entities. Any conspiracy theory that confirms the distrust becomes believable (even when those theories contradict each other). A flat earth conspiracy confirms the distrust the individual has already established in government agencies or in science. Which brings us to point two:
Science Denial
The denial of science is often used as a stepping stone between conspiracism and biblicism. It allows a flat earther to walk between the two different ideological manifestations with relative ease. Once an individual has developed a monological belief system that pivots around scientific principles (or I should say anti-scientific principles), scientific consensus is abandoned and confirmation bias steps in to do the rest. When it comes to scientific denial, “objective information matters less than emotional appeals, unsupported allegations and unverified speculations” (Goertzel, 2010). When objective and testable reality is abandoned, anything can be believed.
Flat earth ideology based on science denial is often identifiable through the use of phrases like “science can’t explain…” or “they don’t know…” and “only a flat earth can explain….” The person will argue their position by preying on another’s lack of scientific literacy and boasting that only flat earth theory makes any rational sense. The problem? Well, yes, science actually can explain why seasons work, why the polar regions experience extended periods of time without sunlight, and how an eclipse works with round earth data.
Biblicism
The third manifestation of flat earth ideology is biblical reasoning. These individuals often argue a few verses taken from the Old Testament that mention “the four corners of the land” (Ezekiel 7:2) or the world being upon “the pillars of the earth” (1 Samuel 2:8) or will use a New Testament reference to Jesus being shown all the kingdoms of the earth from a tall mountain (Matthew 4:8).
While it is true that the majority of the Old Testament writing predates the discovery of a spherical world, the entirety of Christian history exists in the period of well established round earth knowledge. Round earth was common knowledge from before the beginning of Christian teachings and well before the Bible itself was even constructed.
Ancient Greek thinkers, philosophers, mathematicians and astronomers were able to determine the earth was round in a number of different ways. Pythagoras based his assumption of round earth on lunar observations about 500 BC. Circa 350 BC, Aristotle observed how constellations change the further you moved from the equator, and about a century later, the earth’s circumference was successfully calculated. (Read more here.)
The problem with flat earth Biblicism is that even if you take ancient religious texts literally and as scientifically accurate (cue science denial) one is still forced to ignore the whole 2000 years of Christian history. Christians knew the whole time that the earth was round and this was evident in their artwork.
Salvator Mundi, By Leonardo da Vinci – Getty Images, Public Domain
The painting above is titled Salvatore Mundi which translates to “savior of the world.” You might notice what he holds in his hand is a sphere. Da Vinci painted this around the year 1500. Below is another depiction of Jesus holding a sphere. The painting is of the same name, as the notion of “Savior of the World” was common theology. As common and as well accepted as the spherical earth.
Salvator Mundi, By Andrea Previtali, 1516- Public Domain
This type of depiction of Jesus holding the world is actually an adaptation from early Roman art which would often depict the Roman emperor also holding a sphere known as the “orbis mundi” which translates as “the circle of the world” (seen in the coin below).
Byzantine art, Emperor Alexander mosaic, 10th century, Hagia Sophia, Turkey
Roman, 119–121 CE Orichalcum, Mint of Rome, Yale University Art Gallery: Transfer from Sterling Memorial Library, Yale University; 2001.87.6672
This coin is from the reign of Emperor Hadrian. The figure kneeling is holding the globe to be presented to Hadrian in honor of him being titled “restorer of the world” and predates the Christianization of the Roman empire. Hadrian’s coin here is indicative of how well round earth had permeated the ancient world by the 2nd century AD. At the time of this coins printing, the compilation of Biblical texts was still 200 years away.
Conclusion
How to adequately tackle flat earth ideology can vary from person to person based on how the ideology manifests. No one believes the earth is flat because the earth is flat. Objective facts and evidence don’t actually mean anything. The entire ideology boils down to how strong the believers confirmation bias is and what other ideology they are trying to confirm. If the flat earther is a conspiracist attempting to confirm the idea that government agencies are crooked, the best course of action would likely be addressing the fact that round earth predates the mere existence of the United States government by more than 2,000 years.
In terms of science denial, when one encounters the “science can’t explain…” argument, just know that it’s just simply wrong. Yes, science can and does explain things quite well. Sometimes, using appropriate science to fill the void or gaps in the individual’s comprehension can work, but remember that science denial is merely a stepping stone between conspiracism and Biblicism. When faced with science facts, the individual will likely slide back to one or the other manifestations via confirmation bias.
Flat earth Biblicism, unlike conspiracism, is not only dependent upon religious confirmation bias, but also carries a tribal mentality as well. Addressing this form of ideology with appropriate science will not be effective. If any evidence is to be accepted, it must be presented from within the individual’s religious worldview. This why I have included a number of Christian paintings in this article. When round earth perception is presented in a manner that is thoroughly intertwined with Christianity from the beginning, the individual will be less likely to think contrary to the tribal perception.
Any of these, or none of these tactics may work when confronting flat earth ideology, as people think in a variety of different ways and sometimes people are just too stubborn to part with anything they have chosen to believe.
Confirmation bias is the bane of rational thought.
References
Connolly, W. (2018, 8 3). Sesterius of Hadrian, “RESTITVTOR ORBIS TERRARVM”. Retrieved from http://www.dartmouth.edu/~yaleart/objects/coins/restitutororbis/
Goertzel, T. (2010). Conspiracy theories in science. EMBO Reports, 11(7), 493–499. https://doi.org/10.1038/embor.2010.84
Hagia Sophia Museum, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism (2018, 8 3). Emperor Alexander Mosaic. Retrieved from http://ayasofyamuzesi.gov.tr/en/mosa-emperor-alexander-mosaic
Marco d’Oggiono, Salvator Mundi, c.1500, Galleria Borghese, Rome.jpg. (2018, June 14). Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Retrieved 20:18, August 5, 2018 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Marco_d%27Oggiono,_Salvator_Mundi,_c.1500,_Galleria_Borghese,_Rome.jpg&oldid=306422428.
Wood, M. J., Douglas, K. M., & Sutton, R. M. (2012). Dead and alive: Beliefs in contradictory conspiracy theories. Social Psychological And Personality Science, 3(6), 767–773. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550611434786
Wikipedia contributors. (2018, June 29). Salvator Mundi (Leonardo). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:29, August 3, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Salvator_Mundi_(Leonardo)&oldid=848119961.
Wikipedia contributors. (2018, June 6). Salvator Mundi. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:30, August 3, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Salvator_Mundi&oldid=844672720.
