NationStates

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 6:54 am**

Petrasylvania wrote:
The Free Joy State wrote:
That was meant to take us to a big hollow ice ball with a flat earth inside it, right?

...

Yep, that's what I thought.

These flat-earth explanations just keep getting stranger.

Incidentally, there's also a publishing house dedicated to putting out flat-earth propaganda/bizarre conspiracy theories, including this.

Do you ever sit and scratch your head and wonder how some people can become so avowedly anti-intellectual and anti-authority that they'd believe literally anything?

Doesn't help that we have a political party that encourages and courts anti-intellectualism as well as science denial.

I'm a Brit, so our political parties generally support different varieties of foolishness - generally; there's one UK party (the Irish DUP) where at least some members believe that Young Earth Creationism should be taught in schools (I only used U.S. Amazon, because I don't want U.K. Amazon storing it under things I've recently browsed). That said, we Brits have plenty of science-denying anti-intellectuals.

Like the people who run these Christian fundamentalist schools. The article has samples of the materials used, if you're ready to feel really... :mad:

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 7:29 am**

Petrasylvania wrote:
The Free Joy State wrote:
That was meant to take us to a big hollow ice ball with a flat earth inside it, right?

...

Yep, that's what I thought.

These flat-earth explanations just keep getting stranger.

Incidentally, there's also a publishing house dedicated to putting out flat-earth propaganda/bizarre conspiracy theories, including this.

Do you ever sit and scratch your head and wonder how some people can become so avowedly anti-intellectual and anti-authority that they'd believe literally anything?

Doesn't help that we have a political party that encourages and courts anti-intellectualism as well as science denial.

Its probably only a matter of time before one of these flat earthers and science illiterate people runs for office.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 7:40 am**

San Lumen wrote:
Petrasylvania wrote:Doesn't help that we have a political party that encourages and courts anti-intellectualism as well as science denial.

Its probably only a matter of time before one of these flat earthers and science illiterate people runs for office.

The scientifically illiterate run and win all the time. Not many actual scientists in either party.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 7:45 am**

Sovaal wrote:
San Lumen wrote:Its probably only a matter of time before one of these flat earthers and science illiterate people runs for office.

The scientifically illiterate run and win all the time. Not many actual scientists in either party.

That might change in November. Scientists from all different fields are running for congress.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 7:48 am**

San Lumen wrote:
Sovaal wrote:The scientifically illiterate run and win all the time. Not many actual scientists in either party.

That might change in November. Scientists from all different fields are running for congress.

Good for them.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 7:52 am**

Sovaal wrote:
San Lumen wrote:That might change in November. Scientists from all different fields are running for congress.

Good for them.

For example i know there is a Vulcanologist running in California

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 8:11 am**

San Lumen wrote:
Sovaal wrote:Good for them.

For example i know there is a Vulcanologist running in California

...A Volcano scientist?

Not sure if that'll help much

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 8:24 am**

San Lumen wrote:
Sovaal wrote:Good for them.

For example i know there is a Vulcanologist running in California

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:23 am**

Salus Maior wrote:
San Lumen wrote:For example i know there is a Vulcanologist running in California

...A Volcano scientist?

Not sure if that'll help much

Vulcanology is the study of volcanoes so yes.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:26 am**

You can disprove them with time zones and the fact that the star's move.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:32 am**

Jackania yugo wrote:You can disprove them with time zones and the fact that the star's move.

they would counter that stars move around the Earth.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 10:58 am**

San Lumen wrote:
Jackania yugo wrote:You can disprove them with time zones and the fact that the star's move.

they would counter that stars move around the Earth.

Are we regressing as a species? First the regressive left (SJW's, Radical feminists Etc.), then tide pods and now this?

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 11:08 am**

Jackania yugo wrote:
San Lumen wrote:they would counter that stars move around the Earth.

Are we regressing as a species? First the regressive left (SJW's, Radical feminists Etc.), then tide pods and now this?

What in the globe do your liberal boogeymen have to do with the flat earth movement?

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 11:15 am**

I'm pretty sure the Greeks solved this already.

Some guy like, "hey that ship just went over the horizon and I can't see it anymore", and then someone else was like "well you know since humans are so special and us Pythagoreans love us some spheres, how about it."

Then a few years later we went to space and got the proof. I mean we even slingshot space missiles around these things. Even if it is flat it behaves like a sphere, so it's reductively a sphere.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:05 pm**

Unit 23 wrote:I'm pretty sure the Greeks solved this already.

Correct.

Some guy like, "hey that ship just went over the horizon and I can't see it anymore", and then someone else was like "well you know since humans are so special and us Pythagoreans love us some spheres, how about it."

Wrong. The argument was about observing the Earth's shadow on the Moon.

Then a few years later we went to space and got the proof.

Wrong. The proof was obtained way before an R-7 kicked the Sputnik into LEO. Like, WAY before.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:27 pm**

I just think it's neat that every single government that has ever existed has agreed to this conspiracy and there's never been a single slip up from someone who was brought in too soon, realized they were dying, or thought they could make a quick buck. In addition every state that has ever collapsed or capital that has ever been sacked or information leak that has ever occurred didn't reveal a single scrap of volumes of important information on how the conspiracy is to be perpetrated.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:34 pm**

The Free Joy State wrote:
Petrasylvania wrote:Doesn't help that we have a political party that encourages and courts anti-intellectualism as well as science denial.

I'm a Brit, so our political parties generally support different varieties of foolishness - generally; there's one UK party (the Irish DUP) where at least some members believe that Young Earth Creationism should be taught in schools (I only used U.S. Amazon, because I don't want U.K. Amazon storing it under things I've recently browsed). That said, we Brits have plenty of science-denying anti-intellectuals.

Like the people who run these Christian fundamentalist schools. The article has samples of the materials used, if you're ready to feel really...

I briefly attended an ACE school. I’m a Christian, but I think ACE is a crappy curriculum and should be done away with.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:41 pm**

Xmara wrote:
The Free Joy State wrote:
I'm a Brit, so our political parties generally support different varieties of foolishness - generally; there's one UK party (the Irish DUP) where at least some members believe that Young Earth Creationism should be taught in schools (I only used U.S. Amazon, because I don't want U.K. Amazon storing it under things I've recently browsed). That said, we Brits have plenty of science-denying anti-intellectuals.

Like the people who run these Christian fundamentalist schools. The article has samples of the materials used, if you're ready to feel really...

I briefly attended an ACE school. I’m a Christian, but I think ACE is a crappy curriculum and should be done away with.

I attended a (state-funded) C of E primary school. It was a good school under a later headteacher, but its attitude to other faiths when I was very small was to say "we have to teach you about these other faiths to keep our funding, but they're wrong and we're right". I'm Christian, too (of the dreaded liberal, evolution-accepting "not-a-real-Christian" - as I've been told many times - kind).

And I agree that ACE is possibly one of the worst curricula in the world. Only one of, though. Because there are others that are just as bad. I remember one - I'll try and find it - that says no-one knows how electricity works. :roll:

Found it! From a 4th Grade Creationist Science Textbook (research reveals it's Science 4 for Christian Schools from Bob Jones University Press). Excerpt:

Electricity is a mystery. No-one has ever observed it or heard it or felt it... We cannot even say where electricity comes from. Some scientists think the sun may be the source of most electricity. Others think the movement of the Earth produces most of it. All we know is that electricity is everywhere...

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:38 pm**

Unit 23 wrote:I'm pretty sure the Greeks solved this already.

Some guy like, "hey that ship just went over the horizon and I can't see it anymore", and then someone else was like "well you know since humans are so special and us Pythagoreans love us some spheres, how about it."

Then a few years later we went to space and got the proof. I mean we even slingshot space missiles around these things. Even if it is flat it behaves like a sphere, so it's reductively a sphere.

The Greeks were also gay. We should be cautious about buying into their agendas.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:50 pm**

Jackania yugo wrote:You can disprove them with time zones and the fact that the star's move.

You don't spend much time talking with flefers, do you?

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:58 pm**

Tekania wrote:
Jackania yugo wrote:You can disprove them with time zones and the fact that the star's move.

You don't spend much time talking with flefers, do you?

How can you be so obtuse if the world is clearly flat

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:01 pm**

MeeNMann wrote:
Katganistan wrote:
Common core came in in 2009, and states were allowed to opt out at the cost of turning away federal funding.

I don't know how you think it could have been 'enforced'. Do you envision sending the national guard to make state governments accept it at gunpoint?

Taking away federal funding is too close to forcing them to submit.

It wasn't taking away federal school funding they already had. It was, "You can have more funding if you commit to this," as I recall.

Not saying it wasn't a dick move, but it wasn't "submit or lose your funding".

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:05 pm**

LimaUniformNovemberAlpha wrote:
Katganistan wrote:
Common core came in in 2009, and states were allowed to opt out at the cost of turning away federal funding.

I don't know how you think it could have been 'enforced'. Do you envision sending the national guard to make state governments accept it at gunpoint?

I was thinking more of sending inspectors to make sure the schools that claimed to accept it actually did.

I don't know about America, but here in Canada there is a huge difference between what schools say they do and what they actually do.

Well then America's one up on you yay freedom guys then.

And they do send inspectors. Our schools have yearly quality reviews by consultants who don't work directly for the state or the local school.

Does that satisfy your itch to surveil everything possible?

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:10 pm**

San Lumen wrote:
Salus Maior wrote:
...A Volcano scientist?

Not sure if that'll help much

Vulcanology is the study of volcanoes so yes.

I should think that the connection to plate tectonics and earthquakes would make him very useful to the state government.

Posted: **Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:27 pm**

LimaUniformNovemberAlpha wrote:
Katganistan wrote:
Common core came in in 2009, and states were allowed to opt out at the cost of turning away federal funding.

I don't know how you think it could have been 'enforced'. Do you envision sending the national guard to make state governments accept it at gunpoint?

I was thinking more of sending inspectors to make sure the schools that claimed to accept it actually did.

I don't know about America, but here in Canada there is a huge difference between what schools say they do and what they actually do.

I don't know about the rest of Canada, but in Alberta curriculum is set and approved by the province, and provincial achievement and diploma exams necessitate that teachers actually follow that curriculum; significant deviation would show in the publicly available results.

For instance, I was educated in the Catholic system and was never exposed to any creationist/FE conspiracy theory nonsense.

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