CT019 - The Day Belief Persevered (Flat Earth Theory Pt. 2)

Episode 19 - Flat Earth Theory (Part 2)

Howdy Theoryologists. Let’s continue our discussion on Flat Earth Theory. In part 1, we focused on the history of modern flat earth theory, it’s introduction in the mid-nineteenth century, and the contemporary philosophical musings at the time, which were opening up new thought on reality and existence. In our theoryology discussion we explored the beginnings of existential thought being introduced by Soren Kierkegaard, and dove into the psychology of perceptual constancy, which should make us all question our certainty about the “reality” of the world around us as we perceive it to be.

So, we’ve covered perception, and the wiggle room that can give when observing the world around us. But perception only gives us a piece of the puzzle. It gives us the data from observation. It tells us what we see and how things appear. What is does not do, however, is explain how that turns into something we understand to be true. That’s where belief comes in.   

Defining belief is a difficult task, and it’s a term that is used in a multitude of ways depending upon context. The term is used to identify psychological phenomenon in conscious thought. It’s used in philosophical discussion to explore the study of knowledge. Beliefs are categorized with qualifiers such as core beliefs and dispositional beliefs. They are separated into groups of epistemological beliefs and religious beliefs. Even the formation of belief is a topic of discussion. All that said, we aren’t going to drill into every nook and cranny of the study of belief, but we do need to understand it superficially in order to discuss Flat Earth Theory. For our purposes, belief can be viewed rather simply. Beliefs are often formed by creating compelling explanations for why something is true.

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Links:

https://alanzosblog.com/beliefs-vs-facts/

https://www.sciencealert.com/one-third-millennials-believe-flat-earth-conspiracy-statistics-yougov-debunk

http://socialpsychonline.com/2016/11/belief-perseverance/

https://bigthink.com/stephen-johnson/understanding-the-really-ridiculous-core-tenets-of-the-flat-earth-hypothesis

https://www.theclinicondupont.com/the-neuroscience-of-core-beliefs/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belief

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/enlightened-living/200808/core-truths-core-beliefs-and-obstacles-progress-pt-2

https://www.thealignedlife.co/question-your-reality/

https://spencerinstitute.com/beliefs-and-opinions-vs-facts-and-evidence-a-coaching-perspective-and-solution/

https://www.quora.com/At-what-altitude-do-you-see-the-curvature-of-the-Earth

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psych-unseen/201702/flat-earthers-belief-skepticism-and-denialism

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/painting-tree-trunks-white.htm

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/when-continental-drift-was-considered-pseudoscience-90353214/