My Flat Earth Challenge

[HARK!]

MOD HAT ON

MOD HAT OFF​

 

[chilehed]

When I was small, my mother said "There is nothing east of Denver."

LOL! I've driven there from Michigan, she wasn't kidding!

 

[Lady Bug]

My brother is a flat earther.

 

[chevyontheriver]

The Flat Earth model posits that

1. The earth is a flat disc with the north pole at the center of the disc.
2. The coast of Antarctica is distributed along the circumference of the edge of the disk.
3. The entire disk rotates about an axis that is perpendicular to the ground at the north pole.​

If that’s true, it necessarily means that

4. No one on Earth can see any part of the sky that is below the plane of the earth’s disc (except for maybe those agents of the international Illuminati/NASA/Freemason/Fluoridated Water black-ops conspiracy who are supposed to be keeping people from visiting Antarctica and doing a poor job of it - but they don't count because they ain't talking).
5. Every observer anywhere on earth, when looking at the sky, will see that

a.) All celestial objects move in a counterclockwise direction, along circles that have the North Star (Polaris) at the center.
b.) No celestial object will move along circles that have a center point other than Polaris, or in a clockwise direction around their center point.​

THE CHALLENGE:
We will meet in Quayaquil, Ecuador. I’ve picked Ecuador for the obvious reason that it’s on the equator, and for the less obvious reason that while we’re there I want go to Montecristi to buy a Panama hat and Quayaquil is the closest major airport (for more on this visit www.brentblack.com to see why you really need to get a good Panama hat).

From Quayaquil we will travel to San Lorenzo, chosen because it’s on the beach and I’ll be in the mood to hang out on the beach in Ecuador in February and eat seafood and stuff. Oh yeah, I forgot – let’s do this in February because Michigan sucks in February unless maybe you’re a deranged downhill skier (which, in fact, I am, but even with that Michigan still sucks in February).

On the beach, in a sufficiently dark location, we will erect a clear dome of some appropriate construction such that it can hold three people and a chair, which will be in the center of the dome. The third person will be a disinterested third party agreed on by both of us (a local priest or nun, perhaps), who is hereinafter called The Observer. After sunset, we will pick three or four bright stars in both the northern and southern hemispheres and mark their locations on the surface of the dome, as seen from The Observer as he sits in the chair. After The Observer indicates the positions of the stars we will each in turn sit in the chair to confirm that we agree with his selection.

The Observer will make observations hourly in this manner until sunup. We will remain awake by drinking caffeinated beverages, eating the weirdest local food we can find, and discussing Life, the Universe, and Everything. The entire event will be streamed live to the web; yes, it will probably be pretty boring for the people watching it but it won't be any more boring than the video that guy made of a bubble level while he flew to Oz.

At dawn, we will inspect the paths of the stars that are recorded on the dome. If the paths are consistent with 5a and 5b given above then the Flat Earth model will have been proven to be true and the Globe Earth model proven false, otherwise the Flat Earth model will have been proven false and the Globe Earth model proven true.

The loser of the challenge will:

1. Admit on live-streamed video that he lost, and that his model has been definitively and finally proven to be false.
2. Solemnly swear to always in the future publicly affirm and teach the proven model, especially when he hears someone espouse the disproven model.
3. Eat (also on video) an entire Cuy Asado (roasted guinea pig) and a serving of Librillo (a local dish made of the stomach of a cow).
4. Travel with the winner to Montecristi, and there purchase for him the finest Panama hat in town.
5. Pay the full cost of the winner’s trip, including travel expenses, lodging, and meals (not including alcoholic beverages) using funds which will have been previously deposited in an escrow account.​

Any takers? Obviously, I take the Globe Earth position.

I hope you get some takers. It's a great way to finance a winter vacation.

Go a bit farther south to the Great Barrier Reef. From there in February you should just barely be able to see Sigma Octantis and make one of those funky pole star pictures. Bring a decent telescope though. Oh, and have fun explaining to the nay-sayers how it's a picture of Sigma Octantis and not Polaris.

 

[chilehed]

I hope you get some takers. It's a great way to finance a winter vacation.

Two birds with one stone. Wouldn't it be great if we could get Flat-Earth Dave to answer the call?

It'll never happen.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Two birds with one stone. Wouldn't it be great if we could get Flat-Earth Dave to answer the call?

It'll never happen.

I'd be happy to go along. Oh, be sure to stay long enough that you are sure to get a cloudless night. You might just have to stay a month you know. Just to be sure.

 

[chilehed]

I'd be happy to go along. Oh, be sure to stay long enough that you are sure to get a cloudless night. You might just have to stay a month you know. Just to be sure.

A whole month in February? Oh my, what EVER will I do??

 

[chilehed]

lol I know these people exist, but I have yet to ether meet one, or even see one like a person actually advocating it on a Blog or YouTube channel.

Enjoy!

 

[chilehed]

My brother is a flat earther.

Does he want to take a shot at winning a free trip to Ecuador?

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Enjoy!

Oh man that will be fun to watch or listen to! Out of various beliefs a person can have I really am boggled how people could hold this one with all the footage of the earth from space etc. I mean I guess I can understand why a few folk might buy into the conspiracies of the Moon landing etc. at least in the early days when 2001 A Space Odyssey was a new movie.

I wonder if you could get a Flat Earth person to ride with you on a Space X mission, etc. if they would change their belief or have a complex rationale why everything is an optical illusion and the earth is really flat.

 

[Hans Blaster]

lol I know these people exist, but I have yet to ether meet one, or even see one like a person actually advocating it on a Blog or YouTube channel. I know there is suppose to be even a "Flat Earth Society" that has existed for decades...

But this seems almost like a viral internet Tulpa thing.

Tulpa - Wikipedia

There is at least one that frequents the Science sub-fora of CF, but I forget which poster.

 

[prodromos]

There is at least one that frequents the Science sub-fora of CF, but I forget which poster.

JacksBratt and d taylor are two of them

 

[Lady Bug]

Does he want to take a shot at winning a free trip to Ecuador?

If it's free, he might be tempted to try it.

 

[prodromos]

Enjoy!

That was nice.
As someone living in Australia, I can confirm that the night sky does not sweep by in a broad arc as it would in the flat earth 'model', but rotates around the South celestial pole. Impossible on the flat earth 'model'.
Just to add, in the comments someone pointed out that the reason Flat Earth Dave doesn't lose his cool in the debate is because his beliefs aren't being dismantled. He is a con who plays the role of flat earther as a way to make money. He doesn't believe it himself.

 

[chilehed]

That was nice.
As someone living in Australia, I can confirm that the night sky does not sweep by in a broad arc as it would in the flat earth 'model', but rotates around the South celestial pole. Impossible on the flat earth 'model'.

SHHHHHHHH!!!! I need a free vacation!

 

[chilehed]

Modification to the duties of the loser:

The loser of the challenge will:

1. Admit on live-streamed video that he lost, and that his model has been definitively and finally proven to be false.
2. Solemnly swear to always in the future publicly affirm and teach the proven model, especially when he hears someone espouse the disproven model.
3. Remove from the World Wide Web all material (whether in text, audio, video, or any other medium) that he has previously posted which espouses the disproven model, and replace it with a public announcement of this challenge and its result.
4. Eat (also on video) an entire Cuy Asado (roasted guinea pig) and a serving of Librillo (a local dish made of the stomach of a cow).
5. Travel with the winner to Montecristi, and there purchase for him the finest Panama hat in town.
6. Pay the full cost of the winner’s trip, including travel fare, lodging, and meals (not including alcoholic beverages) using funds which will have been previously deposited in an escrow account.
   

 

[Aryeh Jay]

I spent a week in Manta Ecuador in February, it was quite rainy.

 

[prodromos]

I spent a week in Manta Ecuador in February, it was quite rainy.

I was going to ask if you can see the Southern Cross in the night sky from there, but if it was raining all the time...

 

[Lady Bug]

As someone living in Australia, I can confirm that the night sky does not sweep by in a broad arc as it would in the flat earth 'model', but rotates around the South celestial pole. Impossible on the flat earth 'model'.

As far as I'm concerned, that's all the proof you need, but flat-earthers find a way to answer everything.

 

[Lady Bug]

I have to say, I feel kind of jealous of those in the Southern Hemisphere. They see things in the sky I'll never see. They don't get to see the North Star though.