Failed educational system behind increasing flat-earthers, says expert

Flat earth conference
Flat earth Screengrab from YouTube

As flat earth theory is gaining popularity in all nooks of the world, American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has now come forward and has lashed out against the believers of the theory saying that they are the result of a failed educational system.

In the latest video on his StarTalk YouTube channel, Neil deGrasse Tyson said that flat-earth theorists are not ready to accept the reality even after several videos from space of the rotating spherical earth were released.

Everything in the Universe is spheres?

In the video, Neil deGrasse Tyson told comedian Chuck Nice that almost everything in this Universe is spheres or slight distortions of spheres for one or the other reasons.

Neil deGrasse Tyson also used multiple experiments to prove that the earth is absolutely spherical. He even cited the examples of lunar eclipses and solar eclipses, two phenomenon which clearly indicate that the earth is spherical. According to Neil, if the earth is flat, then a flat shadow of the earth will be reflected on our moon, and until now, we have seen a perfect round shadow.

He also cited another example of a ship sailing towards the horizon. Neil explained that the ship gradually disappears from our site, as the earth is round.

During the chat, Chuck Nice asked deGrass Tyson regarding the various factors which compel flat-earthers to think the earth is flat.

"For me, the fact that there's a rise of flat-Earthers is evidence of two things. One, we live in a country that protects free speech. And, two, we live in a country with a failed educational system. Our system needs to train you not only what to know but how to think about information and knowledge and evidence. If we don't have that kind of training, you'd run around believing anything," said Tyson.

"So, what if people still believe the Earth is flat?," asked Chuck Nice.

"That's OK, as long as you don't run NASA," Tyson concluded his talk in the most sarcastic style.

Flat-earthers gathering for an International Conference

Even after facing criticisms from all corners, flat-earthers seem adamant in their beliefs, and they are now gearing up for an International conference which will be conducted on this summer in Canada. The upcoming conference will be headed by Robbie Davidson of Kryptoz Media.

This article was first published on March 11, 2018
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