The flat earth theory. A tale as old as time

Essay from the year 2021 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,5, University of Leipzig (Anglistik/Amerikanistik), course: Conspiracy Theories, language: English, abstract: This essay tries to shed some light on the origins and the appeal of the flat earth theory It shows, that the origins can be traced back at least until Ancient Greece. While a spherical model of the earth might seem like an axiom to many, there is a growing community of people who refuse to believe this seemingly basic fact of human life. Those, who do not consider the evidence of a spherical earth to be credible, believe in the so-called flat earth theory. The assumed shapes of the earth circulating within the community are as manifold as the believers themselves. Some assume the earth to be a square, a triangle or even just an infinite plane in all directions. While there is no clear consensus about the earths “true shape” among the members of this community, the most popular assumed shape of the earth would be a disc shaped one. The edges of the disc are often envisioned to be surrounded by a wall of ice or by a shape similar to a snow globe, which to them explains why nothing and no one has ever fallen from the edge of the earth. In addition to the basic flat shape of the earth, some followers of this theory also believe in a plethora of other conspiracy myths. According to one of said narratives, the Nazis were assisted by aliens when fleeing to Antarctica after the Second World War in order to avoid trial. At a first glance there is no logical relation between a non-spherical earth and a geocentric model of the universe However, to rationalize the existence of night and day most believers of the flat earth theory also assume the sun moving around the earths North Pole, creating a spotlight that illuminates different regions of the earth at different times . In addition to the sun's altered course around the earth, the US model of a flat earth also suggests that the stars are located in a dome above the sun and moon, which they believe are at a distance of 5500 km from the earth. The general description modern believers of the flat earth theory use is very similar to the many theories present throughout history, which makes investigating the historical roots of the modern day conspiracy even more important.