Fact Check: The Earth is flat

Fact Check: "The Earth is flat"

What We Know

The claim that "the Earth is flat" contradicts centuries of scientific evidence and observation. Historical observations by ancient civilizations, such as the Greeks and Egyptians, demonstrated that the Earth is round based on the way the Sun's shadow worked in different locations and the way ships could sail around the globe without falling off an edge (NASA). Furthermore, modern space exploration has provided direct visual evidence of the Earth's spherical shape, as seen in photographs taken from space (NASA).

Scientific consensus firmly supports that the Earth is an oblate spheroid, a fact confirmed by various methods including satellite imagery, circumnavigation, and the principles of physics that govern celestial bodies (Wikipedia). Despite this, a small segment of the population continues to believe in the flat Earth theory, often driven by confirmation bias and the influence of social media (Pursuit).

Analysis

The flat Earth theory lacks credible scientific support and is widely regarded as a conspiracy theory. The sources that promote this belief often rely on anecdotal evidence and misinterpretations of scientific data. For instance, the article by Maselli and Mourad discusses how confirmation bias can distort perceptions of scientific evidence, a phenomenon that is relevant to the flat Earth belief (Maselli & Mourad).

In contrast, reputable scientific organizations, including NASA, provide extensive evidence supporting the Earth's roundness. The historical context provided by NASA highlights how ancient navigators used the Earth's curvature to travel across oceans, further reinforcing the spherical model (NASA).

The reliability of sources promoting the flat Earth theory is generally low, as they often lack peer-reviewed research and are not supported by the scientific community. In contrast, the evidence for a spherical Earth is robust, coming from multiple independent lines of inquiry, including astronomy, physics, and direct observation from space (Wikipedia).

Conclusion

Verdict: False
The claim that "the Earth is flat" is false. It contradicts overwhelming scientific evidence and is not supported by credible research. The belief in a flat Earth is largely driven by cognitive biases and misinformation rather than factual data. The scientific community, backed by centuries of observation and modern technology, confirms that the Earth is an oblate spheroid.