But this is an example - one of many - of how our subjective perception doesn’t always reflect objective reality and can get us into real trouble. So, that’s where many flat earthers start. And even airplane flights often don’t get us high enough to appreciate the curvature of the Earth. Unless we’ve been into outer space, most of us see the Earth by standing upon it, where our perspective suggests a flat horizon.

► Does the belief in the flatness of Earth have to do with delusional/illusory perception or is it more like a healthy expression of skepticism (or something in between)?įlat earth theories are supported, in part, by our own subjective experience, which is often a powerful guide in our personal search for truth.

That kind of epistemological shift then paves the way for sites like Infowars to be treated by some as an equally reliable source of information. MSNBC and Fox News tell opposing sides of any given story, leaving viewers with the sense that truth is subjective. In addition, the internet business model based on monetization of “hits” has created an online environment in which headlines have become more sensationalized and objective news lies alongside, and has become conflated with, subjective opinion.

Whereas typical in-person social discourse makes it difficult to maintain unconventional beliefs in the face of ridicule, anonymous online communication through social media and forums like Reddit and 4chan affords people easy access to like-minded individuals around the world who can rally around beliefs that most of us might find ridiculous. It’s hard to know whether there are really more “flat earthers” today, but the internet certainly seems to have played a role in popularizing fringe beliefs like this one.

What is the motive behind flat earth