How to Debate a Flat-Earther

The problem with debating a flat-Earther is that they didn’t arrive at their conclusions from the weight evidence, so using the evidence isn’t going to work to change their minds.

That said, the evidence for the curved Earth is abundant. Besides the enormous body of photographic documentation, it’s even possible to do the experiment yourself. For example, I recently flew from New York City to Doha, from there to Singapore, then to Brisbane, then to Dallas, then back home. I followed an eastward course for my entire journey, and ended up back where I started. That’s only possible on a globe.

On that journey I got to enjoy plenty of views of the night sky, and one of the most striking features was that the sky was different. On a flat Earth, everyone would get the same view of the sky, but there were stars that I could only see at home and couldn’t on my trip, and vice versa.

And lastly, during a lunar eclipse the shadow of the Earth passes over the Moon. That shadow is always a circle, and only spheres are capable of casting circular shadows 100% of the time, regardless of angle.

But like I said, it’s not about the evidence. People who believe that the Earth is flat think that we are being lied to by scientists and political leaders. Many people don’t trust their society, and especially leaders of that society. And most especially elite leaders of that society. Scientists are indeed elite leaders of the government, academia, and other powerful institutions. By claiming that the Earth is flat, people are really expressing a deep distrust of scientists and science itself.

Distrust in science is a deep, thorny issue. But one way to rebuild trust is to simply listen. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but studies have shown that people tend to trust other people, not necessarily the facts. So if you encounter a flat-Earth, as I have many times, don’t bother getting in a debate. Instead, change the subject so that you focus on something you find wonderful or extraordinary about the universe or about science. Maybe it’s an exciting new observation, or a clever experimental result, or an example of a real-world impact from scientific learning.

By building bridges based on shared wonder, awe, and curiosity, we can defuse the tension, moving around the flashpoint caused by a triggering proclamation and instead focusing on common ground. That’s the only place where trust can take root. And once trust is established, the question of the geometry of the Earth simply fades into the background.

2 Replies to “How to Debate a Flat-Earther”

  1. The problem is that the flat earth conspiracy leads, and pretty much has to lead, to so many other conspiracies; ones required to support a flat earth belief, for instance Moon landing denial, space denial and so forth. This leads to a stance where any “exciting new observation, or a clever experimental result” is viewed with instant suspicion and will be claimed as a “fake”.
    The “final experiment” just took place in Antarctica with two flat earthers in attendance to see a twenty-four hour sun, something impossible on a flat earth, and something most flat earthers say doesn’t happen. And still the two flat earthers there that witnessed just that, did not admit to being wrong.

    1. They are a stubborn bunch, aren’t they? LOL! Every time I show them any extremely simple experiment, they either go silent, claim it is a waste of time (yet they spend hours watching FE videos), or spray out a whole slew of FE “memes” with their narratives embedded in them, while replying with childish insults. They claim some Bible scriptures are “proof”, but yet never want to discuss any of them. Lately I asked a few of them to explain what Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 are all about, and silence. They simply quoted their other misinterpreted scriptures while spewing out scorn and ridicule. They literally have zero concept of time and believe a “day” in the Bible is 24 hours. Their other widely used response to any questions about space, is “The Firmament”. When I ask them what their interpretation is of “The Firmament”, silence.. None of them can explain anything in their own words. Always repeating the propaganda the “videos” tell them to repeat. I ask them why the Sun is the same size from morning, to Noon, to night if it is only “3000 miles up”, and silence.. Heck, they even use photos of the curvature and claim they “prove” flat! It’s just “perspective”. LOL! “Perspective” is another “defense” word they toss out. As well as “vanishing point”. Why does neither the Sun, nor Moon change size? – Silence. Apparently perspective doesn’t apply for them. You should see them scramble to explain the 24 hour Sun on their pizza map. It’s hilarious how they employ Globe math and geometry, then make the Sun do a “loop” over one place in their “ice wall”. As far as the couple of FE that went to Antarctica, they make too much money with their grifting. Plain and simple. The FE “leaders” are nothing but scammers. They KNOW Earth is a sphere and is why they shamed any flerfer for wanting to take the trip.

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