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Jennifer Cox

Professor Good

RC 2001 - 108

16 June 2018

How Flat-Earthers Can Help To Define Conspiracy Theories

A conspiracy theory is a conceptual term that is difficult to define. With a lacking

definition, it is then troublesome to prove a conspiracy theory’s validity. Brotherton explains

that, “many researchers have come to the conclusion that the sole purpose of conspiracy theories

is that individuals want to prove that everything is intended and planned with ill will”

(Brotherton 10). Although conspiracy theories are always being questioned and argued between

individuals, this controversy has gathered a much larger audience through technological

advancements. Highlighting an example of a largely followed conspiracy theory can help to

better understand what a conspiracy theory is, how it can be defined and how the internet has

impacted these theories. A key example of a largely followed conspiracy theory is the flat Earth

theory.

According to Real, “The flat Earth theory posits that the Earth is not a globe but in fact a

flat disk shape. This Suggests that the Earth land masses lay flat.” This theory originally began

back in ancient civilization before the idea of the Earth possibly being round was even a thought.

Worldwide, historical surveys have shown that the idea of a flat Earth has been a notion shared

by a variety of different cultures. The flat Earth theory was a common belief in ancient Greece,

India, China and a wide variety of other indigenous cultures. This theory was also considered by

many philosophers and scientists including the founder of the atomic theory, Democritus.
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“​However, from at least the 6th century BCE, the theory of the flat Earth began to fall out of

favour. By the time we get to Aristotle in the 4th century BCE, the idea of a spherical Earth is

commonplace, at least among the educated classes” (Andrew). Then later, around the first

century BCE, the theory of the Earth being a globe was a controversial truth. Now today, the flat

Earth has become a growing trend and has continued as a minor tradition in thought, much like

many other theories in science.

After many years under the scientific agreement that the Earth is indeed round, Samuel

Rowbotham, an inventor, conducted The Bedford Level Experiment. This experiment, taking

place in 1838, was conducted on a slow-flowing drainage canal in the village of Welney in the

United Kingdom. The experiment was set up by having a boat sail in a straight line six miles

away from where Rowbotham stood with a telescope. If the experiment was conducted correctly

and that if the Earth was in fact round, then the boat would be positioned thirteen feet below him

at the six mile mark. These findings were then published in a book called ​Earth Not A Globe:

Parallax. Although published, these findings were never actually cited or proven. Most followers

of the flat Earth theory, have read this book and began following all of his beliefs without

checking sources and seeing were he found his calculations for the Bedford Level Experiment.

After scientists began researching this theory more in the early 1900s, no one could understand

how this experiment could ever prove that the Earth is indeed flat. Therefore, since this can not

be scientifically proven, the notion that the earth is flat still remains just a conspiracy theory.

As more questions rise, “flat-earthers” (a term used referencing an individual that

believes that the Earth is flat instead of a globe shape) have come up with different answers. The

main question is “if the Earth is flat, shouldn't we have fallen off by now?”. As Real explains in
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his youtube video about the flat Earth conspiracy theory, many individuals believe in the concept

of an ice wall. Having an ice wall means that the land masses are surrounded by the antarctic,

keeping all of the ocean water contained and not “falling off the edge of the Earth.” This concept

is very interesting for a number of reasons. Geologically, the Earth’s climate is not able to obtain

temperatures cool enough to abstain a wall of ice around the entire Earth. Also, this does not

make sense when it comes to seasons. Flat-earthers believe that the sun spins around the Earth in

a way that it goes through one rotation each day (sunset one day to sunset the following day).

This then means that seasons change when the sun is closer or further from the Earth. They

believe that when the sun is further away from the Earth then the season becomes winter and

vice versa with summer. “In the flat Earth theory, the tides are not moved by a lunar

involvement. The tide shifts are connected to a magnet that is located at the center of the Earth

and the only reason we stay here is because the sun and the Earth are constantly and infinitely

moving upward” (Real). This theory cannot be proven for the mere fact that there are other

planets in our solar system that then would not receive any solar energy. If the sun only rotated

around Earth instead of the Earth, along with all other planets, orbiting around the sun then

plants such as mars would never receive any sunlight. This then also leads to the idea of gravity.

The biggest issue with this statement is the need of oxygen for living organisms. As the Earth

would move upward, the supply of oxygen in the air would lessen. With less and less air, every

person, animal and even plant would evidently not be able to sustain life. This then becomes

another concept that is not able be scientifically proven when referring to the flat Earth

conspiracy theory.
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The flat Earth theory can also help to define what a conspiracy theory is by understanding

the concept of simplifying science in order to see the bigger picture. When defining a conspiracy

theory, it is stated that a theory usually has a planned power. Most times, this means that

individuals trust that the government has planned major tragedies, much like a coping

mechanism. For many flat Earth followers, the higher power that cannot be trusted is NASA.

Andrews states that: “​As far as we can tell, it's pretty likely to be the same reasons ​anyone

believes in any outlandish conspiracy theory: It’s a novel way of explaining an overwhelmingly

complex world, one that’s partly driven by the human tendency to see things that ​aren’t there​, a

phenomenon known as magical thinking. This then means that with complicated scientific

findings and technology advancing to the point that NASA is able to take simulated pictures,

many individuals believe that they desire a more simplistic explanation of the shape of the Earth.

The shape of the Earth being a complicated and inversely difficult subject to comprehend does

not give enough valid evidence to prove that the Earth is flat. Also with more technological

advancements, NASA has used drones and other camera devices to take picture of the Earth from

space. These photos show a rounded shape, much like a globe, and does not have an indication of

an ice wall or a disk-like shape.

Another way that the flat Earth theory can help to define what a conspiracy theory is is

through various conclusive studies that have been conducted on conspiracy theories in general.

Sustein believes that the reason for some individuals to create conspiracy theories is because

most people lack direct or personal information about the explanation for tragic events. In a

variety of different conspiracy theories, individuals are often tempted to attribute such tragic

events to some actor or believe that a higher power is solely involved. This means that all events
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are said to be planned with an ill will. In the flat Earth theory, this tragic event is brought up

through followers not wanting to believe in the government and NASA. This comes from a fear

of a higher power when NASA itself is just trying to provide people with scientific footage of the

Earth as well as the rest of the universe. This then leads to more questions of NASA and their

photographs. Many flat-Earthers believe that photos of the Earth being round are fake because

captions will have statements such as “enhanced with animation”. This just means that the pixel

quality has been enhanced, not that the photo was originally flat and then tampered in order to

look round.

Another aspect of conspiracy theories is the argument involved in order to have others

believe in the theory. The flat Earth theory shows an example of this during the ABC news

interviews. The questions conducted during these interviews are very detailed but answered very

vaguely. Some of the flat-earthers even respond in such a way that asks another question back to

the interviewer. This is very common with most conspiracy theories. The belief is that if answers

are kept vague or unclear, it becomes easier to defend their point of view. The arguments of

individuals that believe in the flat Earth theory also tend to almost never have evidence to back

up their theories. The main theory that cannot be proven is how they believe that there is no

gravity on Earth. This theory becomes close to impossible to evidently determine but followers

still think that it makes sense logically. These indistinct answers are starting to become more

noticeable with technological advancements. Man recordings are shown that indicate that flat

Earth followers often cannot answer scientific questions. One question that was asked to both

flat-earthers and individuals that believe that the Earth is round in multiple interviews by ABC

News was “why do you have followers?” The flat-Earthers’ response was simply because they
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are right. The other individuals responded with scientific and photographic evidence to prove

that they were indeed the ones that followed the correct theory. Scientific and technological

advancements have made it easier to see perspective interviews in order to truly see what

conspiracy theorists know and believe about the conspiracy theory that they follow.

With other technological advancements, conspiracy theories have also become more

popular because of the fact that information is now easily available to everyone. “This has

created a decline in professional publishers and has made it easier for anyone to post their beliefs

and claim that they are scientifically proven and cited” (Wood 32). The flat Earth theory is a key

example of a conspiracy theory being influenced by the internet. An increase in this accessibility

to information means that anyone can do a simple google search and find multiple articles that

seem to be factual that intend to back up ideas that still remain conspiracy theories. Also with an

increase in available information, flat Earth societies and flat Earth conventions have brought

like-minded people together. These conventions are welcomed by both people that believe that

the Earth is flat and people that believe that the Earth is round and are designed to see each

others opposing opinions. In a video published by ABC News, flat-Earthers are interviewed and

scientifically questioned. Most responses ended in “my senses tell me that the Earth has to be

flat” and “although there are details to be worked out, the basic concept is sound”. Scientists then

reply with scientific evidence of why the Earth cannot be surrounded by an ice wall, that gravity

does exist and that the sun is in fact the center of the solar system. With more ways to receive

information, more individuals try to prove the validity of these conceptual

theories.Technological advancements have both influenced and impacted conspiracy theories.

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Discussing the flat Earth theory as an example of a largely followed conspiracy theory

can help to better understand what a conspiracy theory is along with seeing the detrimental

impact that technological advancements have had on these theories through easier access to

information and forming multiple like-minded conspiracy groups. Showing this example can also

help to define the term of what a conspiracy theory is. Each individual process of defining what a

conspiracy theory is can help to determine what is factual and what remains an unproven

conspiracy. This concept remains a conspiracy because scientific evidence has yet to prove that

the Earth is flat.

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Works Cited

Andrew, Elise. “Flat Wrong: The Misunderstood History Of Flat Earth Theories.” ​IFLScience,
IFLScience, 20 Mar. 2018,
www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/flat-wrong-misunderstood-history-flat-earth-theories/.

Andrews, Robin. “Why NASA Keep Lying To The World, According

To Flat-Earthers.”​IFLScience, IFLScience, 13 May 2018,
www.iflscience.com/space/why-nasa-is-lying-to-the-world-according-to-flatearthers/all/.

Brotherton, Robert. ​Towards a Definition of 'Conspiracy Theory',“The Psychology of

Conspiracy

Theories.” no. 88, 2013, pp. 9–13.

“Inside a Flat Earth Convention, Where Nearly Everyone Believes That Earth Isn't Round .”

ABC News, 25 Jan. 2018, ​www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhmj8g4zhw​.

Real, Matt. ​The Flat Earth Theory Explained. BuzzFeed, 27 Mar. 2018,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO-ndBqZORk​.

Sustein, C. R., and A. Vermeule. ​Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures,“Journal

of Political Philosophy.” no. 17, ser. 2, 2009, pp. 202–227. ​2.

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Thresher-Andrews, Christopher. ​An Introduction into the World of Conspiracy,“The Psychology

of Conspiracy Theories.”, no. 88, 2013, pp. 5–8.

Wood, Michael. “Has the Internet Been Good for Conspiracy Theorizing?” ​The British

Psychological Society, no. 88, 2013, pp. 31–33.,

Jennifer,

Overall, good work with this researched argument essay. There are some areas for improvement,
but I think this essay could very well be revised, so certainly consider that option and
communicate with me as needed.
Your introductory paragraph effectively sets up the topic and establishes an argumentative tone
that is appropriate for the essay. Nicely done.
One significant area for improvement relates to MLA conventions, which you need to review.
See my comments in the margin. Click ​HERE​ for info on MLA formatting.
On a related note, one significant area for improvement is the way that you are integrating
quotations. See this handout for help with this issue: ​Integrating Quotes​ . The most important
point, aside from punctuating correctly around quotations and parenthetical citations, is that you
never, ever​ want a quotation standing alone (aka “floating”) with a period immediately before
the quotation and then a period immediately following it as well.
Here is the MLA format for in text citations: “Quote” (Wilson 13). You do not have to include
the page # if it is unavailable. You do not have to include the author’s last name in parentheses if
you mention it before the quotation. If there is no author, then include the first word or two from
the bibliographical citation, like this: “Quote” (Institute of Health 13). If you do not need an
in-text citation, then you punctuate like this, with the period inside the quote marks: “Quote.”
I also think that you bring up several points on which you should probably elaborate much more
thoroughly. This is probably the most significant area for improvement in a possible revision.
Any revision also needs to provide a Works Cited page.
Overall, this essay meets the expectations for the assignment, stays focused on your
argumentative position, and develops insights through substantial, organized evidence. There are,
however, some areas of the paper that ought to be strengthened, so be sure to see my marginal
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comments, and, of course, feel free to speak with me about the revising the paper if you want to
make substantial changes to get the paper and your grade where you want them to be. AS IS
GRADE: 78