My own observations: With a mid level telescope. I can clearly see a spherical moon, a spherical Jupiter, a spherical Saturn. While not science, I would at least hypothesize our planet would follow the clear pattern of celestial bodies I can clearly observe.
Flat earth is the original hypothesis of the earth until it was discovered to be spherical. Only after much push back from the church and “science” community. Was it accepted to be spherical.
Lastly, “flat” is a rather vague observation. It appears the word is used to mean “Not Spherical”. Flat is not a shape. Flat is also relative. If not a sphere what shape is it?
Lastly, “flat” is a rather vague observation. It appears the word is used to mean “Not Spherical”. Flat is not a shape. Flat is also relative. If not a sphere what shape is it?
We don't know what shape it is, it's just the surface that we can talk about, which many of us know to be level (there are mountains, hills, valleys, lakes, etc.). We don't know how far it extends, either.
Circular is not the same as spherical. The objects you are observing could be concave as well...
This is untrue, but popularly taught. It seems that the author of the legend of sleepy hollow is (at least partially) responsible for this myth. Virtually all educated people from, at least, ancient greece were taught the world was spherical from childhood - just like us today!
True. Some speculate disc, some concave (we live on the inside surface) - speculations abound!
If you have an interest in the subject (which it seems you do), please join us on the community i created to explore and discuss it further! Click my username and find the link, or let me know and i’ll pm it to you.
Virtually all educated people from, at least, ancient greece where taught the world was spherical from childhood - just like us today!
They may have been "taught" that, but they were wrong. The most common evidence I've seen for that claim is Erathosenes's experiment, but that works both on a flat surface and a spherical surface, so it proves nothing.
They may have been "taught" that, but they were wrong.
I largely agree. But the history available largely demonstrates that this was the case. The myth that previous cultures thought the world was flat and were “proved wrong” by people like columbus was made up in the 19th century by the author of sleepy hollow. It is a uniquely american myth that many students today are also “taught”.
so it proves nothing.
The kicker is, it was never intended to!
People like eratosthenes and columbus had been taught from childhood that the world was spherical. They never once doubted it, and never sought to prove it right or wrong. Eratosthenes apocryphal procedure absolutely depends on the world being spherical (and many other unvalidated - and some plainly incorrect - assumptions to boot, like that all sunlight “rays” are parallel). His calculation is meaningless and nonsensical unless many unvalidated assumptions (taught to him from childhood as facts) are correct - including the one the calculation is erroneously purported to prove (that the world is spherical)! He never set out to prove anything, merely to estimate the circumference of the world by calculation already assuming it was (and dependent on it being) spherical.
We don't know what shape it is, it's just the surface that we can talk about, which many of us know to be level (there are mountains, hills, valleys, lakes, etc.). We don't know how far it extends, either.
Sound argument…
What?
Circular is not the same as spherical. The objects you are observing could be concave as well...
This is untrue, but popularly taught. It seems that the author of the legend of sleepy hollow is (at least partially) responsible for this myth. Virtually all educated people from, at least, ancient greece were taught the world was spherical from childhood - just like us today!
True. Some speculate disc, some concave (we live on the inside surface) - speculations abound!
If you have an interest in the subject (which it seems you do), please join us on the community i created to explore and discuss it further! Click my username and find the link, or let me know and i’ll pm it to you.
They may have been "taught" that, but they were wrong. The most common evidence I've seen for that claim is Erathosenes's experiment, but that works both on a flat surface and a spherical surface, so it proves nothing.
I largely agree. But the history available largely demonstrates that this was the case. The myth that previous cultures thought the world was flat and were “proved wrong” by people like columbus was made up in the 19th century by the author of sleepy hollow. It is a uniquely american myth that many students today are also “taught”.
The kicker is, it was never intended to!
People like eratosthenes and columbus had been taught from childhood that the world was spherical. They never once doubted it, and never sought to prove it right or wrong. Eratosthenes apocryphal procedure absolutely depends on the world being spherical (and many other unvalidated - and some plainly incorrect - assumptions to boot, like that all sunlight “rays” are parallel). His calculation is meaningless and nonsensical unless many unvalidated assumptions (taught to him from childhood as facts) are correct - including the one the calculation is erroneously purported to prove (that the world is spherical)! He never set out to prove anything, merely to estimate the circumference of the world by calculation already assuming it was (and dependent on it being) spherical.