this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2024
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And Finally...

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In a surprising turn of events, a well-known flat-earther conceded that his long-held conspiracy theory was incorrect after embarking on a 9,000-mile journey to Antarctica.

YouTuber Jeran Campanella traveled to the southernmost continent to witness a 24-hour sun - a phenomenon that would be impossible if the Earth were flat.

"I realize that I'll be called a shill for just saying that and you know what, if you're a shill for being honest so be it - I honestly believed there was no 24-hour sun... I honestly now believe there is. That's it," added Campanella.

...

Campanella still didn't fully embrace the globe Earth model: “I won’t say the Earth is a perfect sphere,” then said, after first admitting he was wrong.

...

The expedition was part of the Final Experiment project, organized by Colorado pastor Will Duffy, who "hopes to end the debate over the shape of the Earth."

The expedition was part of the Final Experiment project, organized by Colorado pastor Will Duffy, who "hopes to end the debate over the shape of the Earth."

He arranged an expedition in which four flat Earthers and four "globe Earthers" were flown to Antarctica to witness the continent's midnight Sun. Antarctica's Midnight Sun is one of many proofs that the Earth is spherical. It can only occur on a tilted and rotating sphere, and the axial tilt during summer positions the South Pole to face the Sun continuously for 24 hours.

Flat Earthers often claim that the Antarctic Treaty of 1959 prevents civilians from visiting the southernmost continent in an attempt to hide the true shape of planet Earth. However, Pastor Duffy wanted to demonstrate that this wasn't the case.

"I created The Final Experiment to end this debate, once and for all. After we go to Antarctica, no one has to waste any more time debating the shape of the Earth," Duffy declared in a statement. "This is, of course, assuming that the entire "experiment" isn't just an elaborate prank designed to fool us 'globe Earthers.' It seems highly unlikely, but we'll keep you posted if anything changes – not that we're trying to sound conspiratorial or paranoid."

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[–] [email protected] 185 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

this person should be celebrated, not ridiculed. we all could stand to learn from him no matter how divergent our views on life are.

he sought evidence willingly and did not dismiss it out of hand when it didn't support his hypothesis. in fact, he has gone further and rejected that hypothesis.

his starting point may have been misinformed but he has had the courage to use the scientific method to recalibrate. i salute him.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Exactlty. I found this a really uplifting story.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 2 weeks ago (7 children)

I like that he refuses to believe it's a perfect sphere, like someone has been trying to convince him of that.

It's those pesky perfect sphere earthers we need to watch out for. What have they got against bulges?!

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Kudos to the guy for admitting he was wrong, but I wouldn't celebrate it too much.

If they're able to disregard and misinterpret all the available proof regarding Earth's shape, something is fundamentally wrong. Either they lack the... mental acuity to deal with abstract concepts, or they're severely lacking in critical thinking.

At least the second one can be overcome if one commits to learning in a structured way, but the first one...

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Neither of those reasons are necessarily required to believe in a conspiracy theory.

Plenty of objectively smart people succumb to conspiracy theories. I am almost certain you have unfounded beliefs that when scrutinised make no logical sense.

Often it is just that a person has been disenfranchised and in a vulnerable position where seizing upon a conspiracy theory gives them a sense of control, community and power.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago

He dug in his heels and refused any facts and evidence until someone else spent a pile of money to give him something he could no longer argue with.

Yes, he finally admitted the earth may not be flat. Things everyone with a brain already knew. Refusing to listen to experts and insisting you know better until you personally are given special treatment to be shown you are wrong is not something to be applauded.

Fuck this guy for taking it this far.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

I think that everyone has forfeited the right to be taken seriously if they simply refuse to acknowledge proven facts until there is no way left to hold on to their crude claims. I think it is even dangerous to take this seriously, because it legitimizes hostility towards science and ultimately harms an objective public discourse based on verifiable arguments. Of course, everyone should be free to express their opinion, but they must also be held accountable for their actions.

I think the efforts of climate change deniers are a especially vivid example of the danger posed by the normalization of irrational pseudo-arguments and factually untenable denialism. This issue, like many others, is largely beyond direct human experience, but that does not mean that climate change is not real. So you can't even fly these people to the melting glaciers to convince them, which is out of the question anyway because their denialism is actually motivated by purely selfish goals, namely the avoidance of measures to combat climate change that would harm their financial interests or threaten their lifestyle. In such cases I think that it is perfectly legitimate to simply dismiss these outlandish claims as nonsense and expose their authors as mere charlatans.

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[–] [email protected] 80 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Campanella still didn't fully embrace the globe Earth model: "I won't say the Earth is a perfect sphere,"

This is correct. It's an oblate spheroid, calling it a perfect sphere is an incorrect simplification.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Still gets closer to the truth than calling it flat.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

He's jumped from being completely wrong to being potentially more right than most people.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

More simply speaking, trees and life but also hills and mountains exist, so it must not be a sphere.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yeah, but relative. Those features are smaller relative to the size of earth. Then the imperfections on a pool ball.

Whereas the difference of east west diameter to north-south is much greater. But still unlikely to be noticed by a celestial pool player until the ball starts rolling funny.

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[–] [email protected] 56 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (4 children)

Yo I also don't believe the earth is spherical, someone should fund sending me to Antarctica to prove me wrong

[–] Justas 23 points 1 week ago (2 children)

A lot of flat earthers when asked if they want to go, refused. What a bunch of idiots, that trip is expensive and makes you the coolest person in the room.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

All of the people that were asked were prominent online personas in the flat earth space. Aka grifters who have made their day job out of talking nonsense and duping people. They would not just be ousted from the community they are currently in, they would also lose their income.

Just convincing any old smuk wouldn't be useful, so flat earth "influencers" were asked.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

They knew they'd be forced to become pariahs, like jeran and whitsit currently are. Flat earthers are currently going out of their minds trying to say the whole thing was faked with a sound stage, green screen, cold place that wasn't really Antarctica, prerecorded footage, etc. All already easily debunked, but proof has never mattered to them before, why start now? Either way it's kind of funny to see how quickly they turn on each other when one of their own admits something like the 24 hour sun being real, even though flerfers claim to be dedicated to science and the truth.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I second you. Let’s start a YT channel and contact Pastor Duffy for a ticket later.

Btw we‘ll take our biggest fans with us. Join our channel

[–] QuantumSparkles 6 points 2 weeks ago

Sounds like a great starting point for a sequel to The Thing

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[–] [email protected] 44 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The most surprising thing is that a Flat Earther actually admitted that they were wrong!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 weeks ago

That's the point, yes.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 week ago (2 children)

The Earth is not a perfect sphere, nor is it argued to be. It is an oblate spheroid. It bulges at the equator due to the spinning. Additionally, if it were perfectly spherical, we wouldn't have changes in elevation, mountains, etc.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

If I shrunk it down to the same size the earth would be smoother than a billiard ball.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Well the problem with flat earthers has never been lack of evidence, its mental illness and gulibility

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 week ago

Campanella still didn’t fully embrace the globe Earth model: “I won’t say the Earth is a perfect sphere,” then said, after first admitting he was wrong.

Lol whatever lets you save face, bud... But FYI, scientists don't believe this either.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Good for them for admitting thier mistake. Respect.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The rest of flat earth society will immediately dismiss these findings of course.

[–] lurch 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

IMO it's proof enough to watch the oceans horizon on a clear day when traveling by ship and observe things like ships, buildings or wind farms emerge top first, even though the waves are too shallow to cover them. You can use binoculars to see it more clearly.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Sorry for my ignorance but why didn't they just go to the Arctic, it should be much cheaper and one don't have to go straight to the Pole, northernmost parts of Canada, Alaska, or Europe would be enough to witness 24-hours sun. I personally was to the north of the Arctic circle and the polar day was lit. And it was as cheap and easy as buy one railway ticket from Moscow.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 week ago (1 children)

In many flat earth models they envision the arctic as the center and Antarctica as the rim, in which case 24h daylight is possible in the former but not the latter.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

That is mind numbingly dumb. Do they think the sun hovers direct over the earth in the summer, then goes underneath in the winter? How would days and nights work anyway?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago (2 children)

The same way it currently does, but the sun is significantly closer and smaller, also is has a range of light, like a lamp shade that makes sure the sun isn't always visible even though it's always above the disc earth, as is the moon (and don't even start trying to reason with the moons movements on a flat earth model, or explain either types of eclipse.. It only gets worse the deeper you look)

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 week ago

Flat earth theory is flat ocean theory. It can be tested with a telescope on an tripod and any land mass at least 10 miles away over the ocean.

One doesn’t need to go to the ends of the map to disprove flat earth. Just far enough to see whether the surface of the ocean is curved or not.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

All I know is that if I was a hiring manager for any position above fry cook, my first question for potential hires would be to ask if they believe the earth is round. If they answer "no" it would save me a lot of time.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (3 children)

can't ask people about their personal beliefs directly. you could form it from a series of questions though.

  • are you willing to travel across the globe for client needs?
  • how many flights would it take you to get from here to x if you flew around the planet?
  • what shape is our planet?
[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (7 children)

How about "Is the earth round?" It's an objective fact, not a question about beliefs.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Why, do we give credence to the mentally insane. It's 2024.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Was that 9,000 one way or was it for the round trip?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Well a floating balloon would give you 24hr light too! Did he keep the sun in view the whole time he was flying to Antarctica? Maybe they just took him to where they had the stationary 'sun' instead of the moving one? Maybe he didn't travel far enough to see the edge of the earth! /s for those who need it.

Seriously though, imagine what this guy would think if he got on to one of the space expedition flights, or simply a high altitude one... I hear it's quite a humbling, eye opening experience to see the curvature of the planet.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago

I've watched an island slowly rise above the horizon as I climbed a hill, and just that was a pretty remarkable feeling. I can very much believe what astronauts say about it

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

He admitted he was wrong. Why do you want to rub it in his face ?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The debate over the shape of the earth???

Obviously you can come up with an explanation for the 24 hour sun. These people just aren’t trying hard enough.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

I don't believe it. I think he was incepted on the plane ride. Where was Leonardo DiCaprio during this?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

When many different people tell you that you are a fucking moron, at some point you need to listen and reassess.

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