The Research Behind the Flat Earth Theory
By Josie Painter
We live in a world of constant information. Some of it raises our eyebrows, while others make us nod our heads; however, sometimes we are unsure what to believe. The idea of a flat Earth is often dismissed, a debate fought and won long ago when Google Maps and satellites did not exist, but for the past few years, the flat Earth theory has been gaining traction.
The origins of the Earth being flat date back all the way to the beginning of time. While the specifics are unimportant, the foundation of the theory was described in 2019 by Anders Furze at the University of Melbourne. Simply put, people believed the Earth was flat because it made the most sense. There was no technology to prove otherwise; gravity and other important facts about our world had not been realized, so naturally, the only logical way for people to walk and live on Earth would be if it were flat.
As science advanced, a spherical Earth became widely accepted, but Jim Greene notes in an EBSCO article that a flat world made a comeback in the 19th century due to “Christian fundamentalist circles who viewed modern science as conspiratorial.” Along with that, social media has once again popularized the idea, as algorithms tailored to the individual’s beliefs constantly reaffirm them. More than that, flat earth theories are also able to be communicated in large scale, and some of the research is extremely persuasive. In fact, the article by Furze mentions a study done that indicated ⅓ of Americans between 18 and 24 believe the world to be flat.
In Pierce, a few individuals believe in a flat Earth, one of them being seventh grader Gabriella Drahota. When asked about her beliefs, she uses the Bible to support her reasoning, noting, “God created a dome shape, which is flat.” Jamie Drahota, G. Drahota’s mom and fiscal manager at Bright Horizons in Norfolk, has also done research and adds, “There are no real photos from space; all alleged photos are computer-generated. It literally says it on them, the ones from NASA. There is no proof of a curve. Not in the skyline. Not in long-distance laser tests. Not in flight paths. Not in level water. IF they say we are spinning approximately 1,674 kilometers per hour, we would be flying all over.” She also suggests that if anyone would like to learn more about why the Earth is flat, check out Eric Dubay’s videos on YouTube.
Ultimately, while we have all been taught since elementary school that our Earth is round, spinning on an axis around the sun, there is evidence pointing to the contrary. After all, not everything taught in school is concrete, so maybe the Earth could be flat.
