Flat Earth: The Modern Crux of Denialism

 Simone Dobelbower #7

    Did you know that senioritis prevents up to 33% of students from graduating?

    How many of you believed that at first glance? How many of you were skeptical? How many of you are wondering why I asked the question when the subject has Flat Earth in it? While I have no idea if that figure is remotely true, some people would outright believe me even if I had just met them. I have no qualifications studying the rates of how students graduate, just like how many flat earth "scientists" have no qualifications in using "physics" to "disprove" the "globe earthers".

    Let's take a little journey into the world of flat earth.

    As someone who has observed the side of the internet where some of the most extremist views are expressed, I've seen a number of conspiracy theories floating around. Anti-vaxxers, 5G, "plandemic", and so many more groups are among them; however, there are few conspiracy theories that have withstood the test of time than the flat earth theory. Once viewed as a fact, this now conspiracy has become the cornerstone of modern denialism and the world of conspiracy theories.

     Denialism, at its core, is a philosophy to cope with change. It's unlike nihilism where one believes simply nothing. Rather, it's rejecting things one does not like. Denialism is the foundation of anti-critical thinking and closed-mindedness. Unfortunately, it is also the same mindset that perpetuates these conspiracy theories. 

This video goes into great detail about Denialism and anti-critical thinking. It's a bit verbose, but is incredibly clear about Denialism.

  

    While denialism is definitely a large part of the reason why the flat earth conspiracy still exists, there's a couple other things to consider. One of the biggest reasons why it spreads is due to Cognitive Dissonance. That term was coined by Leon Festinger in his 1956 book "A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance". The three common ways to cope with cognitive dissonance are: changing one's beliefs to accurately reflect reality, changing one's beliefs so the conflicts can live in harmony, and attempting to convince others of the dissonance. This last way is the most interesting, and it's often one of the reasons behind why conspiracies spread. 

  Flat earth was likely considered fact for much of human history, though its cracks (or curve, should I say) began to show. Many ancient civilizations knew the Earth was round, most notably the Romans. However, it took some time for most of society to accept the globe as truth. We are well into that stage now, but flat earthers still remain.  They remain because there are Denialists in the world, those that actively want to reject the established world as it is. They use established facts as a cabal or conspiracy that is actively working against them as fuel for their continued existence. Denialism holds back the very science that works to create a better world.

Discussion:

Do you know anyone who is a flat earther? Are there any stories related to them?

What are some other factors that "validate" the flat earth conspiracy today?

Is/are there any examples of cognitive dissonance that is/were in your life? How did you cope with it?