Eccentric plans to fly in his homemade steam-powered rocket to prove earth is flat

[elhelmete]

Originally Posted by Dane_in_LA

They get to feel very, very clever discussing the nature of evidence, and getting their chance to pounce on any fallacies anyone may make. When cornered they'll insist that they're not really doubting, just open-minded. Of course, most of them have never actually examined any evidence for nor against, not have they gone to the trouble of forming a coherent alternate hypothesis.

I've had one flat-out deny that a ship's masts become visible above the horizon before the hull (when the ship is approaching, natch). Generations of seamen know this, have experienced it, planned around it, used it to their advantage. He'd never actually looked and refused to believe that anyone had experience of the world outside his browser. A couple of centuries' worth of cartography and spherical trigonometry used in navigation - pshaw, nobody had bothered to spoon-feed him. Besides, those are hard subjects with all sorts of math, it takes discipline to gain an understanding. But leaning back and saying something trite about the nature of reality - easy.

They also thrive on the fact that your average layperson don't really have a daily, working understanding of cartography and spherical trigonometry and thus can't refute their silly claims point by point. And they look down with withering disdain on anyone who suggests that they believe the experts when it comes to complex things like space travel and nuclear science, etc. and don't have to do extensive personal research on the topic.

[snowtired14]

C'mon Mad Mike! You know the only way to prove the earth is flat is to fly off the edge. Hell, you can show up Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos ridiculous notion of flying people into space, get people to pay to fly off the edge.