Instigator / Con
6
1378
rating
36
debates
38.89%
won
Topic
#1103
The Earth is Flat
Status
Finished
The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.
Winner & statistics
Better arguments
3
18
Better sources
2
12
Better legibility
1
6
Better conduct
0
6
After 6 votes and with 36 points ahead, the winner is...
Wylted
Tags
Parameters
- Publication date
- Last updated date
- Type
- Standard
- Number of rounds
- 5
- Time for argument
- Two weeks
- Max argument characters
- 25,000
- Voting period
- One month
- Point system
- Multiple criterions
- Voting system
- Open
Contender / Pro
42
1387
rating
34
debates
22.06%
won
Description
I think the Earth is round, my opponent thinks the Earth is flat. BoP is shared. Only use science and physics to argue, no religious quotes please. We can also discuss if there is a conspiracy and if the government is lying to us. If you want to provide scientific studies, cite your sources.
Structure:
Round 1 - Main Argument
Round 2 - Rebuttals
Round 3 - Rebuttals
Round 4 - Rebuttals
Round 5 - Final Argument
Round 1
Pro
#2
Thank you Con for accepting this debate. I ask that judges check their bias and preconceived notions at the door. I would also like to point out that most of my arguments will derived from the book Zetetic Astronomy by parallax. Others I gathered from various YouTube videos. A link to the full book can be found here and I will continually refer back to it as a source. http://www.sacred-texts.com...
I can't work images properly, probably because I'm debating on my cellphone. I ask that my opponent, judges and readers bare with me and please actually click on the image links. My arguments will be understood a little better, with the help of a few visual aids.
I'd like to point out that my case will be made with a lot of experiments and observations that can be made first hand. I'm not asking anyone to trust supposed "established facts". You need nothing more than your own senses and judgement to figure these things out on your own.
C1- If the Earth were round people would fall off the bottom.
C2- The Bedford Level Experiment
"A boat, with a flag-staff, the top of the flag 5 feet above the surface of the water, was directed to sail from a place called "Welche's Dam" (a well-known ferry passage), to another called "Welney Bridge." These two points are six statute miles apart. The author, with a good telescope, went into the water; and with the eye about 8 inches above the surface, observed the receding boat during the whole period required to sail to Welney Bridge. The flag and the boat were distinctly visible throughout the whole distance!"
If the Earth was curved the boat wouldn't have been visible the whole distance. Here is what would've happened if we had a round Earth.
That's not what happened in the experiment. This is what happened.
This experiment has been repeated several times, with different people and locations. All with the same results.
C3- Isle of Wight and Isle of Man
"A very striking illustration of the true form of the sea horizon may be observed from the high land in the neighbourhood of the head of Portsmouth Harbour. Looking across Spithead to the Isle of Wight, the base or margin of the island, where water and land come together, appears to be a straight line from east to west, a length of twenty-two statute miles. If a good theodolite is directed upon it, the cross-hair will show that the. land and water line is perfectly horizontal, as shown."
Below are 2 pictures. The first shows what the actual results of the experiment are. The 2nd shows what it should be if the Earth is round.
This experiment was repeated at the Isle of Man with similar results. Image 1 is actual results. Image 2 is what they would look like if the Earth was round. Same as previous source.
C4- The Earth looks flat from a plane
A plane is really far up and the curvature of the Earth should be very apparent if the Earth is flat.
Image
C5- Surveyors assume a flat earth
When making bridges, rail roads, tunnels, canals etc. no curvature of the Earth is taken into account. This would not be possible if the Earth was round.
Proof 3 from following link. http://www.mrsciguy.com...
C6- Plumb bobs
Plumb bobs are used to help construct buildings. If the Earth was in fact round as my opponent believes than buildings made using plum bobs would be wider at the top than bottom, but we don't find that to be the case.
From film (In search of an edge) http://www.physics.smu.edu...
Flat Earth theory is more than just flat Earth
More things are involved in the theory besides the flatness of the Earth. If you look at the flat Earth model, you'll see that in the center of the Earth sits the North Pole. This would explain why compasses always point in that direction. If the Earth actually had a south and North Pole magnets would point in both directions not just the northern one.
At the outer edges of the Earth holding water in is a wall of Ice. This is actually a better explanation for the oceans sticking to the Earth than this silly magical force called gravity. Here is a picture of what the flat Earth looks like.
You might ask if gravity doesn't cause things to stick to the Earth, what does? The easy answer to that, which is a superior and easier to grasp theory. Is that the Earth is moving up really fast. When you go up really fast you stick to stuff. You can feel this affect in elevators.
A lot of these other factors tie into Flat Earth Theory just as the rotation of planets go hand in hand with spherical Earth theory.
C7- The seasons explain prove Flat Earth theory is a superior model
If the Earth was revolving around the Sun as round Earther's believe than the sun would be directly over the equator 4 times a year. We find that it is only over the equator 2 times a year. If we use the Flat Earth model instead the Equator sees the sun 2 times a year as appropriate.
Also a round Earth going around the sun would have Icecaps that actually completely shift over every year. This would force the Earth to wobble uncontrollably. However we find that the poles don't do this. So the Flat Earth model is a better explanation.
Source video 1- http://m.youtube.com...
C8-The Earth isn't spinning
According to spherical Earth theory the Earth is spinning at over 1,000 miles an hour. If this is true, this is faster than the speed of sound. Given this theory somebody standing East of you wouldn't be able to hear what you say. Here is an experiment you can try at home. Have somebody stand East of you and see if they can hear what you say. Well can they? Boom flat Earth proven to be true.
Also the Earth spins at 1,000 miles per hour. This is ridiculous for round Earth proponents to say. If a merry go round gets you dizzy at a mere 10 miles per hour, how in the world aren't we walking around dizzy?
C9-Michelson Morley experiment
Let's imagine you're sitting in a boat and there is another boat circling around you, but maybe you're circling around it. How do you find out which is correct?
The simple answer is to stick your hand in the water to feel if you're moving. Well this is what the Michelson Morley experiment basically does.
We know that the substance known as Aether exists. Light couldn't move without some substance to move along. Sound moves along air, waves move along water and light moves along Aether.
Without Aether light just can't move, so we know Aether exists. Originally people concluded Aether didn't exist as a result to the Michelson Morley experiment, but an alternate conclusion actually confirms that the Earth is not moving, well it's moving up really fast, but It's not moving around the Sun.
We know that the Aether must exist, so the only alternate explanation would be that the Earth is the center of the universe.
A flat Earth model (which is Geocentric) is a better explanation for the Michelson Morley experiment than a spherical (also heliocentric) model would be.
C10- Airey's failure
""Airey's failure" (Reference - Proc. Roy. Soc. London v 20 p 35). Telescopes have to be very slightly tilted to get the starlight going down the axis of the tube because of the earth's "speed around the sun". Airey filled a telescope with water that greatly slowed down the speed of the light inside the telescope and found that he did not have to change the angle of the telescope. This showed that the starlight was already coming in at the correct angle so that no change was needed. This demonstrated that it was the stars moving relative to a stationary earth and not the fast orbiting earth moving relative to the comparatively stationary stars. If it was the telescope moving he would have had to change the angle.
C11- The Sagnac experiment
(c) The Sagnac experiment (Reference - Comptes Rendus 1913 v157 p 708-710 and 1410-3) Sagnac rotated a table complete with light and mirrors with the light being passed in opposite directions around the table between the mirrors. He detected the movement of the table by the movement of the interference fringes on the target where they were recombined. This proved that there IS an aether that the light has to pass through
So that experiment proves there is an Aether which reinforces the results of the other experiments.
Conclusion
It's more than obvious by now that the Earth is flat. As much as modern science wants to cling to the disproven theory of a round Earth, they can't deny the evidence. I look forward to my opponents opening arguments.
This is the main source to find broken links above. I will actually print the sources in the debate next round https://www.debate.org/debates/DDO-Tier-Tournament-2-Flat-Earth-Theory-vs-Spherical-Earth-Theory/1/
Round 5
Criterion
Con
Tie
Pro
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:
Full forfeit.
Criterion
Con
Tie
Pro
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:
RFD in comments
Criterion
Con
Tie
Pro
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Criterion
Con
Tie
Pro
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:
ff
Criterion
Con
Tie
Pro
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:
FF
“The LAST person to enter your debate is the ever so inept Dr. Franklin”
That’s because he’s not a flat earther like you, idiot. Why would he debate with me on something that we both agree on?
.
TheAtheist,
For your continued knowledge, the LAST person to enter your debate is the ever so inept Dr. Franklin! This is because he embarrassingly debated this topic with me before, and as an assumed Christian, he was blatantly anachronistic as he made a mockery of Jesus' true words within the Bible supporting a flat earth, along with the direct historicity of a flat earth in the Bronze, Iron, and Middle Ages. Further more, Dr. Franklin dismissed the fact of a Ptolemaic Planetary System at the time of the writings of Jesus, and his using a "plethora" of wishful thinking OPINIONS of his own and others. Therefore, the "doc" is no more a Christian than you are!
Dr. Franklin just represents a play-toy mouse that TRUE Christians like myself can bat around with ease for entertainment purposes only, whereas every forum has to have a Dr. Franklin in this respect.
.
Lol yessssssssssssssssssss
Conspiracy theories lack evidence which is why we don't see scientist believe in the flat Earth because they have the knowledge to know the Earth is round.
This is a problem because if conspiracy theories become more prevalent it would mean the public are less and less trusting of academia. Democracy requires people to be knowledgeable not based their decisions on feelings. If they do then they wouldn't understand a fake populist from a real one which can come from things like climate denial. This is under the assumption that people want to live under democracies. If they do but still vote for people who don't support democracies without knowing it then they won't understand the problem. A person not understanding the problem doesn't understand what to improve. They will carry on thinking they are right only to realize one day they f*cked up or maybe they die before that happens.
Rants yes. Helpful maybe.
"Only use science and physics to argue, no religious quotes please."
BrotherDThomas:Im going to pretend I didn't see that