this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2024

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Anon's coworker is a flat-earther (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 6 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Man, a lot of comments on here are giving me reddit debate lord vibes. People talking about "the truth matters", but the way a lot of them are saying, it sounds like they just want to ego boost and dunk on/bully someone that they perceive as inferior; which I suppose could also be called "asserting intellectual superiority".

Chances are that any argument you use on them is something they've already heard, and the more you push and demean them the more defensive they will probably get, and the harder it will be to convince them. And even if you did manage to pressure and shame them into believing the earth is round, that won't suddenly make them good critical thinkers.

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[–] [email protected] 38 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

I can totally understand not really wanting to engage with these stupid people but to suggest that it doesn't matter that he believes that is disingenuous.

If he's stupid enough to think the Earth is flat then he is stupid enough to do other things in his actual job wrong or in a dangerous manner.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (6 children)

Given that stupid and uninformed (or misinformed) people get a vote on topics that affect me, no. I'm not gonna let slide that people believe outright provably wrong bullshit. It's still a problem.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago

[lemmy disliked that]

[–] [email protected] 21 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Anyone stupid enough to believe the earth is flat will kill you by accident.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I believe in truth and that facts do matter. I also teach young people. Being a wage earner was not a bad thing, but I yearn for the freedom to live an easier life, eventually. I want that for everyone. False beliefs are traps that hold people back from being their best selves. Carry flat-earth beliefs as a core foundation and look at what differences it would make. Geostationary satellites, and all the tech jobs that go with servicing that sector, just disappeared. Ditto solar. Travel to distant places, and time zones, becomes an insolvable problem. Your co-worker is holding his life back by believing in medieval superstitions.

It is a kindness to challenge people to find what is true.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I agree with all this but want to gripe about the misconception that flat Earth is medieval.

People have known Earth is round since at least 350 BC when Aristotle wrote On the Heavens. And he didn't come up with it there, he was explaining how others knew it.

In medieval times they had not lost this knowledge and it was still widely understood that Earth is round. Flat Earth has been a fringe lunacy for thousands of years. In the 1800s it became popular for religious reasons and most flat Earthers today are actually creationists trying to dress up their beliefs as science.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 6 months ago (2 children)

sorry, I wouldn't trust anyone with those beliefs in any position of responsibility.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Same with religious people. They've already proven they lack in critical thinking skills/

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

I'm sure there have been plenty of times you have comfortably trusted a religious person with responsibility because most people are religious.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Most people are not religious - https://news.gallup.com/poll/511133/identify-religious-spiritual.aspx#:~:text=WASHINGTON%2C%20D.C.%20%2D%2D%20Nearly%20half,say%20they%20are%20neither%20religious

"nearly half" is not "most".

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

That's if you're including spiritual as non-religious.

Only 18% of people in that poll were described as neither (Atheist).

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (2 children)

I believe he was getting at religion as the problem, not spirituality. If you look at the BITE model, which is used to determine if a group displays cult like behavior, both flat earthers and many religions fall into the category of cults. Spirituality does not, as it is not organized.

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

You're going to nit pick spiritual vs religious? If we're being pedantic, you're citing us population, the world is much different. Also even if we accept it's only about half, my point still stands.

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

I think spiritual vs religious can be an important difference. Generally speaking it's organized religions that are causing major harm not the individuals who believe their is something beyond our physical reality.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago (2 children)

But isn't the argument about critical thinking skills? I'm sure it's nice to believe in Gaia but there is demonstratively no evidence for it.

The question of harm done is independent to that of gullibility.

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[–] [email protected] -5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

i see you still need to assert intellectual superiority :)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Yes they do, in the same way I wouldn't hire someone who thinks the Internet is run by Santa's elves. There's a bar.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I love how it is considered to be intellectually superior even though you’re stating easily verifiable facts that we also should have learned while being kids.

Fuck that. You’re wrong, and here’s why.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

Just because they set the bar low, doesn't mean it's not still intellectual superiority to step over it. The fact of the matter, as you pointed out, is that they were taught everything you're about to say in elementary school. The fact that they didn't learn the earth is round implies there's more going on in their head than a lack of information.

I'm inferring from your tone that you're not planning to compassionately listen to their perspective to provide constructive criticism. So yeah, it sounds like you're going to spend a few minutes calling them stupid. Which has no benefit other than stroking the intellectual part of your ego. It actually will likely make the world a worse place, because you'll present yourself to them as someone they don't want to be like. Further entrenching them in their views.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 6 months ago

But he votes and talks to other voters. Our lives are in their vocal minority hands.

[–] [email protected] 54 points 6 months ago (2 children)

I miss when people were ashamed of being stupid, now they feel proud about it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (2 children)

The thing is, in their eyes they aren't stupid.

They think they have this secret piece of information, and everyone else is stupid for not knowing or understanding it.

But it is kind of narcissistic to think you found this extra information, which the people who have spend their entire lives researching the topic somehow have missed.

Like, I know people who claim the sea levels aren't going to rise because ice melting doesn't increase the water level. And claim all the scientists are wrong about climate change. When in reality the sea levels will rise because warm water expands.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (2 children)

When in reality the sea levels will rise because warm water expands.

Just FYI, sea levels are going to rise primarily because much of the melting ice is not floating in the water, but land based. Thermal expansion is definitely part of it, but secondary.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Pointing out stupidity online is a crazy experience. Most of the time you get answers like "who cares?", " you must be fun at parties.", "this isn't a (relevant topic) test, I'll make all the errors I want" etc. Not once in my life have I felt or thought like that, and I just can't imagine how those proples minds work.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago

"Who cares?" Anyone who isn't a moron.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (2 children)

proples

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago

"Who cares?" - People that upvoted them but downvoted you for doing what they talked about.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

These people's

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Haha, it’s so funny that this guy believes in ridiculous “science” like flat-earthism. Anyway, I’m going to wander crowded indoor areas without a mask during a pandemic, see ya!

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