I have always categorized “Flat Earthers” in with space alien enthusiasts, but the way things are going in politics these days, they are beginning to look sane. The flat earth crowd is organized, has a broad internet presence, holds international conventions, features a neat logo, and has fervent advocates. In today’s dystopian world, these are all signs of a vibrant, true-life, and well-grounded movement. I am not a social media person, but surely, they have a blog, TikTok, X, and Meta presence to validate their legitimacy further.
A Brief History
The notion that Earth is flat predates recorded history. In many early civilizations, from Mesopotamia to ancient Egypt, people envisioned the world as a flat disc surrounded by water. However, as early as the 6th century BCE, Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras and later Aristotle began arguing, based on observations, that the Earth was spherical. By the Middle Ages, this understanding was widely accepted among scholars across Europe, the Islamic world, and beyond.
English inventor Samuel Rowbotham founded the Flat Earth Society in the early 1800s. His book Zetetic Astronomy: Earth Not a Globe served as a foundation for their beliefs. Some of his postulations still form the basis of their belief system today. Rowbotham believed that the Earth was flat, that ice at the poles forms a wall holding in the oceans, and that the objects we see in the sky were only a few hundred miles above us.
The idea of a flat Earth never entirely disappeared. In the 21st century, it has experienced an unexpected resurgence, driven by digital connectivity, populist skepticism of authority, and a profound yearning for clarity in a chaotic world.
A Body of Believers
Many of our fellow homo-sapiens believe the Earth will implode in just a few short years if we do not stop all industrial production, reduce flatulence by killing all the farm animals, close all nuclear power plants, end all airline flights, and drive electric cars.
Maybe, just maybe, Flat Earthers are as rational as climate doomsdayers, Area 51 researchers, moon landing hoaxers, the Hitler is still alive in Argentina crowd, those with Trump Derangement Syndrome, believers that the sun always shines and the wind always blows, that Greta Thunberg is a prophet, the Illuminati are plotting to overthrow just about everything, and the Denver Airport hosts a Secret Society. According to a 2021 study published by the University of New Hampshire, ten percent of Americans surveyed believe the Earth is flat.
“In our survey 10 percent agreed the Earth is flat, while 12 percent agreed that NASA did not land on the Moon; a further 9–17 percent said they are unsure.”
All of this might be a commentary on our public schools and parenting skills rather than a sign of irrational belief systems. We live in an era where some parents and educators believe that boys can become girls, boys can compete fairly in girls’ sports, and shared locker rooms for minors are seen as reasonable.
In the face of all this nonsense, believing in a flat Earth begins to look like a rational hypothesis worth exploring. Maybe we should be surprised that the percentage was so low. After all, as of July 1, 2025, the Climate Clock was down to four years and twenty Days.
Core Flat Earth Beliefs
Since I have not yet become a Blue Horizon astronaut, I want to keep an open mind, and so I read as much as I could in a week about the Flat Earth Movement. After all, if ten percent of us believe the Earth is flat, I want to know more about it.
"The Flat Earth Society (FES) is a group of individuals who reject the widely accepted scientific understanding of our planet as a spherical object and instead advocate for the belief that the planet is flat.”
From what I have read, Flat Earthers are considered outliers in their beliefs about science, space, gravity, and other accepted scientific principles. Many still cling to the belief that ice at the poles surrounds the earth and keeps us safe by stopping things from “falling off.” Some also incorporate a biblical interpretation into their beliefs, stating that the Bible supports their cosmology.
Some also hold the belief that they are on the cutting edge of science and that rejecting the Earth’s roundness is merely a rejection of what we observe, much as others view science that is outside the mainstream.
“We don’t want to convince people the Earth is Flat. We already know that for ourselves. We want to convince people to question, to think, and then hopefully to solve.”
However, the flat earth hypothesis presents some significant challenges to accepting the concept. NASA, all pilots, SpaceX, all cartographers, all astronomers, and the global travel industry would need to be in on the “Earth is a sphere” hoax.
As in the 1970s, the Flat Earth Movement appears to me to be more about rejecting authority, fostering distrust, and questioning certain scientific principles. On the tail end of all the COVID speculation, disinformation, and distrust, the Flat Earthers are having their day in the sun.
Benefits of the Flat Earth Movement
There are benefits to the belief in a Flat Earth. For believers, the internet and social media offer a platform for expressing their beliefs and connecting with like-minded individuals. Without a core group of believers, these individuals might wander aimlessly and hopelessly, seeking some purpose in life. They are no different than the Bigfoot or Area 51 groups seeking companionship. Rather than being harmless, the Flat Earth Movement might give some who are wandering through the universe a sense of purpose, even if misguided.
The Flat Earth Movement also helps because it forces us to examine ourselves and our society. The movement reflects society as a whole and conveys at least four messages about our world. Flat Earth belief is not just a fringe curiosity; it is a mirror reflecting broader societal dynamics:
- An Erosion of trust in traditional authority and institutions
- A Rise of alternative philosophies that prioritize personal experience over expert consensus.
- Fragmentation of public discourse and interaction in the digital age
- The emotional comfort that comes from the acceptance of more straightforward and less complex explanations
It also raises important questions: How do we rebuild trust in science? How do we foster critical thinking without alienating those who feel excluded from mainstream narratives? The Flat Earth Movement is not about cosmology, but about relearning to trust the world around us rather than seeking a new one.
Maybe I am a Flat Earther
To distinguish fact from fiction these days, I am starting to discount anything I cannot see, touch, or feel. From where I sit, I cannot see the curvature of the Earth, so perhaps the Flat Earthers have some points to ponder. However, if Jeff Bezos gives me one of those free flights to the edge of space so I can see the Earth’s curvature and become an “astronaut” like Katy Perry, maybe I can change my mind.
But I do not want to be stuck in a pre-Galilean view of the world.
Resources and Further Reading
25 curious and fascinating Flat Earth Society beliefs, By Luis MP: Founder of SurferToday.com, SurferToday, surfertoday.com, Last accessed June 27, 2025.
A Conversation With a Flat Earth Believer, By the Editors, Paste Magazine, pastemagazine.com, Last accessed June 25, 2025.
About: The Flat Earth Society, theflatearthsociety.org, Last accessed June 27, 2025.
After Blue Origin’s New Shepard flight, the question arose: what makes one an ‘astronaut?’, By Brooke Edwards, Florida Today, floridatoday.com, April 15, 2025.
Flat Earth International Conference (USA) 2019, flatearthconference.com, Last accessed June 25, 2025.
Flat Earth on the ballot? Debunked claim pops up in US politics, By Terry Collins, USA Today, usatoday.com, May 17, 2025.
From Blastoff To Backlash: Blue Origin’s All-Female Mission Under Fire, By Gemma Allen, Forbes, forbes,com, April 21, 2025.
I watched an entire Flat Earth Convention for my research – here’s what I learnt, By Harry T. Dyer, The Conversation, theconversation.com, May 2, 2018.
Modern flat Earth beliefs, Wikipedia, wikipedia.org, Last accessed June 24, 2025.
The Climate Clock, climateclock.world, Last accessed June 29, 2025.
The Curious History of The International Flat Earth Society, By Danny Lewis, Smithsonian Magazine, smithsonianmag.com, January 29, 2016.
The Earth is flat? What planet is he on? By David Adam, The Guardian, theguardian.com, February 23, 2010.
The Flat Earth Wiki, Flat Earth Society, wiki.tfes.org, Last Accessed June 27, 2025.
Trumpism, Climate and COVID: Social Bases of the New Science Rejection, By Lawrence C Hamilton, University of New Hampshire, unh.edu, August 6, 2022.
What Flat Earthers Believe and Why, By Steve Mirsky, Scientific American, scientificamerican.com, March 27, 2020.
What in the World? Flat-Earthers Gather at First Conference, By Stephanie Pappas, Live Science, livescience.com, November 17, 2017.
What it’s like to attend a flat-Earth convention, By Akshat Rathi, Quartz, qz.com, July 20, 2022.
