This essay tries to shed some light on the origins and the appeal of the flat earth theory It shows, that the origins can be traced back at least until Ancient Greece.
While a spherical model of the earth might seem like an axiom to many, there is a growing community of people who refuse to believe this seemingly basic fact of human life. Those, who do not consider the evidence of a spherical earth to be credible, believe in the so-called flat earth theory. The assumed shapes of the earth circulating within the community are as manifold as the believers themselves. Some assume the earth to be a square, a triangle or even just an infinite plane in all directions. While there is no clear consensus about the earths “true shape” among the members of this community, the most popular assumed shape of the earth would be a disc shaped one. The edges of the disc are often envisioned to be surrounded by a wall of ice or by a shape similar to a snow globe, which to them explains why nothing and no one has ever fallen from the edge of the earth. In addition to the basic flat shape of the earth, some followers of this theory also believe in a plethora of other conspiracy myths. According to one of said narratives, the Nazis were assisted by aliens when fleeing to Antarctica after the Second World War in order to avoid trial.
At a first glance there is no logical relation between a non-spherical earth and a geocentric model of the universe However, to rationalize the existence of night and day most believers of the flat earth theory also assume the sun moving around the earths North Pole, creating a spotlight that illuminates different regions of the earth at different times . In addition to the sun's altered course around the earth, the US model of a flat earth also suggests that the stars are located in a dome above the sun and moon, which they believe are at a distance of 5500 km from the earth. The general description modern believers of the flat earth theory use is very similar to the many theories present throughout history, which makes investigating the historical roots of the modern day conspiracy even more important.
1. What is the Flat Earth Theory?
While a spherical model of the earth might seem like an axiom to many there is a growing community of people who refuse to believe this seemingly basic fact of human life. Those who do not consider the evidence of a spherical earth to be credible, believe in the so called flat earth theory. The assumed shapes of the earth circulating within the community are as manifold as the believers themselves. Some assume the earth to be a square, a triangle or even just an infinite plane in all directions. While there is no clear consensus about the earths “true shape” among the members of this community, the most popular assumed shape of the earth would be a disc shaped one. The edges of the disc are often envisioned to be surrounded by a wall of ice or by a shape similar to a snow globe which to them explains why nothing and no one has ever fallen from the edge of the earth (Brazil 36). In addition to the basic flat shape of the earth some followers of this theory also believe in a plethora of other conspiracy myths. According to one of said narratives the Nazis were assisted by aliens when fleeing to Antarctica after the Second World War in order to avoid trial (Paolillo).
At a first glance there is no logical relation between a non spherical earth and a geocentric model of the universe (Russell 5). However, to rationalize the existence of night and day most believers of the flat earth theory also assume the sun moving around the earths North Pole, creating a spot light that illuminates different regions of the earth at different times (Brazil 36). In addition to the suns altered course around the earth, the US model of a flat earth also suggests that the stars are located in a dome above the sun and moon which they believe are at a distance of 5500 km from the earth.
The general description modern believers of the flat earth theory use is very similar to the many theories present throughout history which makes investigating the historical roots of the modern day conspiracy even more important.
2. Greece - The discovery of a spherical earth
One of the earliest recorded debates regarding the shape of the earth can be traced back to Ancient Greece. Before the earth as a globe was settled by Aristotle, many scholars such as Anaximander believed in a concave, drum shaped earth (Couprie 19). Other scholars such as Epicurus postulated walls located in a circle around the earth which keep the ocean in its place as well as protect them from the vortex that is beyond the inhabitable world (Couprie 20).
However, Aristotle strongly argued for a spherical earth which he could demonstrate sing empirical evidence. One of his arguments was that if he travelled to Egypt he saw different constellations of stars than he would see in Greece (Brazil 36). He also used the earths curved shadow on the moon during eclipses as evidence for his claim of a spherical earth (Simanek). The first accurate measurements of the earth were published by Eratosthenes in the third century B.C. who calculated the earths circumference to be around 24, 662 miles, which is quite close to todays measurement of 24,900 miles.
Contrary to popular belief the early Christian church embraced Aristotles theory of a spherical earth which is quite surprising due to the fact that the Bible argues a flat earth perspective in many of its books. Some Christian scholars referred to the Bible's mention of the four corners of the earth as evidence for a square, flat earth.
3. The Bible - A flat earth book?
Ever since Christianity took over Europe scholars used its texts as evidence for their model of the earth. Throughout history many flat earth theorists are believed to be radical Bible literalists one of which being Samuel Rowbotham, a British writer whose role in the history of the flat earth theory will be discussed at a later point. The biblical view of the earth can be derived the Egyptian model, which pictured the earth to be flat and enclosed by a sky vault carried by ginormous mountains located at every one of the four corners of the earth (Simanek).
There are many biblical passages that can be used to support the theory of a flat earth. The biblical evidence most used by flat earthers to justify their model is Isaiah 11:12 in which the four corners of the earth are mentioned. In Job 28:24, Matthew 4:8 and Psalms 19:4-6 it is described in different ways that if one goes to a very high place such as heaven they would be able to see everything and nothing would be hidden. At a first glance this might not sound very convincing, however it would be physically impossible to see everything if the earth had a spherical shape due to its curvature and the simple existence of the opposite side of a sphere (Elert). As a consequence of that, the reversion to believing in a flat earth in the Middle Ages after the ancient Greeks initial discoveries is often credited to the increasingly important role of the Bible.
4. The Middle Ages - A time of regression?
The Middle Ages are often also referred to as the dark ages. A time in which previous discoveries and advancements were abandoned in favor of a stricter adherence to bible teachings. This cultural narrative is so widespread that even intellectuals like Daniel Boorstin describe the Middle Ages as a time of scholarly amnesia or as the great interruption of progress (Russell 4).
It is therefore not surprising that it is often believed that the knowledge of the earth as a sphere got lost in the Middle Ages and was just rediscovered when Columbus sailed to America. However, this image strays very far from the truth. Scholars in the Middle Ages did believe in a spherical earth as geography was taught to students as a part of astronomy and geometry which were considered to be a part of the seven liberal arts (Russell 15). The christian church played a increasingly big role in medieval times hence why scholars often used classical arguments that would not contradict the Bible's teachings when it came to the earths true shape. Roger Bacon for example used the classical argument of the sphere being the most perfect shape to prove the earths roundness (Russell 15). Another relation to the Bible's mention of the four corners of the earth can be seen in the earths more metaphorical devision in four quarters. One being the known world and the remaining three quarters the sea. However, some scholars argued in favor of the existence of lands in the opposite quarters of the earth which makes the discovery of the previously unknown continent by Christopher Columbus not as unexpected and sensational as previously presumed (Russell 14).
5. Columbus - A rebellious explorer or a modern myth?
After establishing that the continuous knowledge of the earths spherical shape has not been interrupted by the Middle Ages it is debatable how big of a role Christopher Columbus really played in debunking the myth of a flat earth. When looking at the legend of Columbuses bravery against the teachings of the church itself it becomes evident that it did not exist in his lifetime. In fact it first appeared in written form in his biography The life and voyages of Christopher Columbus, written by Washington Irving in 1828. However, it is still not clear why so many people still believe in the myth. While it can be proven that there were objections to his mission by both the church and the intellectuals, none of them were worried about Columbus falling off the edge of the earth. The objections were quite reasonable as one example would be that they simply did not think traveling to unknown lands, not even knowing if they were inhabitable, might cause them to loose assets an therefore was simply not worth the trouble. There was also the worry that the curvature of the earth would make it harder for him to return to Europe which implies that a spherical earth was assumed (Russell 4-11). These factors imply that there was a continuous belief in a spherical earth among European scholars since the first discovery in Ancient Greece.
6. Modern Flat Earth believers - Returning to the Bible's teachings
The 18th century was a century of new scientific discoveries. The theory of evolution shaped the self-image of humanity and their roots which caused some people to seek comfort in the Bible and its teachings (Singham 592). The new wave of bible literalists yielded one representative who is still very popular among flat earth believers (Brazil 35).
The famous flat earth writer Samuel Rowbotham was born in England in 1816 and went on to propose that the earth is a immovable disc whose center is located at the North Pole with Antarctica forming the outer boundary in the form of an ice wall (Brazil 35). With his idea of the true shape of the earth in mind he founded the Zetetic Society. In the 1800s the Zetetic scene was getting more and more popular in England. The name comes from the Greek word for seeker or skeptic and signifies a general discontent towards established ideas and methods, which leads Zetetics to proceed by their own inquiry and experiments (Simanek).
However, Rowbothams most important legacy, that is still highly respected today by many flat earthers, was not his Zetetic society but his 1865 work Zetetic Astronomy: Earth Not a Globe in which he detailed his understanding of zetetic astronomy (Simanek).
After Rowbotham another Samuel took a similar path to become the leader of his very own society. Samuel Shenton revived Rowbothams Zetetic society in 1956 under the name of the international flat earth society (Brazil 36). It was an interesting time to be a flat earth believer regarding the focus on space travel and imagery of the earth from space that clearly showed a spherical earth. After being presented with these photos he proclaimed that they, as well as the space program itself, were faked in order to cover up the true shape of the earth (Simanek). After Shentons death in 1971 the attention shifted away from the flat earth movement at least until the idea resurfaced on the internet in the early 2000s (Brazil 36).
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- Quote paper
- Anonymous,, 2021, The flat earth theory. A tale as old as time, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1128926
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