Flat Earth

Long ago, many people thought the world was flat.

Some thought it was a disk. They thought it floated on water.

In China, people thought the Earth was flat and square. This idea stayed for a long time. Later, thinkers found proof the world is round. Even today, some people still believe the Earth is flat. But we know the world is a big ball.

Long ago, many people thought the Earth was flat.

This idea is called a flat-Earth cosmography. That is a fancy way to say a view of the world.

Many ancient groups held this view. In Egypt and Mesopotamia, people saw the world as a disk. They thought it floated on a great ocean.

The Norse people had a similar idea. They thought an ocean went around the world. A giant snake lived in that water.

In ancient China, scholars thought the Earth was flat and square. They believed the heavens were round like an egg. This view stayed the same for a long time. In Greece, thinkers like Aristotle found proof that the Earth is a sphere. A sphere is a round shape like a ball. Knowledge of our round world spread slowly. It is a myth that all people in the Middle Ages thought the Earth was flat. Today, some people use social media to share flat-Earth ideas. However, very few people actually believe it. Less than 2% of people think the Earth is flat.

For much of human history, many people believed the Earth was a flat plane or a disk.

This idea is known as a flat-Earth cosmography. It is a way of describing how the world is shaped. Many ancient societies used this model to understand their place in the universe.

In Egypt and Mesopotamia, people imagined the world as a disk floating in a vast ocean.

The Israelites also pictured the Earth as a disc on water with a solid dome above it. This dome held the sun, moon, and stars.

Different cultures had their own ways of describing this flat world.

The ancient Norse and Germanic peoples thought an ocean surrounded the Earth. They believed a giant snake named Jormungandr lived in that encircling water. In ancient China, scholars often described the Earth as both flat and square. They believed the heavens were round, sometimes comparing them to the shape of an egg.

This view remained common in China until they met Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century.

Greek thinkers provided many different ideas about the Earth's shape.

Some early philosophers, like Thales around 550 BC, thought the Earth floated on water like a log. Anaximander believed the Earth was a short cylinder with a flat top. Other thinkers, like Anaximenes, thought the Earth was flat and rode on air. However, the idea of a round Earth began to grow in Greece. Pythagoras suggested a spherical Earth in the 6th century BC. Later, in the early 4th century BC, Plato wrote about a spherical Earth. By 330 BC, Aristotle provided strong evidence that the Earth was actually a sphere.

It is a common myth that people in the Middle Ages thought the Earth was flat.

This idea was actually created in the 17th century by Protestants. They used it to argue against Catholic teachings. In reality, the spherical view was widely held by the early Christian Church. Knowledge of the Earth's round shape spread slowly beyond the Greek world. Even in the early Islamic period, many Muslim scholars believed in a spherical Earth after the 9th century. The idea that everyone thought the world was flat is not historically true.

Even though science has proven the Earth is a sphere, some people still discuss flat-Earth ideas.

These ideas have seen a resurgence as conspiracy theories in the 21st century. People use social media to share these views, and membership in flat-Earth societies has grown since the 2010s. However, most people still know the truth. A 2018 study showed that most young adults in America believe the world is round. In fact, a firm belief in a flat Earth is very rare. It is accepted by less than 2% of people in all age groups.

Flat Earth is an archaic and scientifically disproven concept regarding the shape of our planet. It describes the Earth as a plane or a disk rather than a sphere.

While modern science has proven the Earth is a globe, many ancient societies used flat-Earth cosmography to explain the universe. This model was a way for early humans to organize their understanding of the world. Today, the idea has seen a recent resurgence as a conspiracy theory.

However, the actual scientific reality is that the Earth is a sphere.

Many different cultures developed unique ways to describe a flat world. In early Egyptian and Mesopotamian thought, the world was often viewed as a disk floating in a vast ocean.

The Israelites shared a similar view, imagining a disc floating on water. They believed a solid, arched firmament, or dome, separated the Earth from the heavens. This dome held the Sun, Moon, and stars in place. In Northern Europe, ancient Norse and Germanic peoples also believed an ocean surrounded the Earth. They imagined a world tree called Yggdrasil at the center, with a giant snake named Jormungandr living in the encircling sea.

Ancient Greek thinkers offered several different models for the Earth's shape.

Some pre-Socratic philosophers believed the Earth was flat. Thales, around 550 BC, suggested the Earth floated on water like a log. Anaximander believed the Earth was a short cylinder with a flat, circular top. Anaximenes thought the Earth was flat and rode on the air. Other thinkers, like Archelaus, suggested the Earth was depressed in the middle like a saucer. This idea was meant to explain why the Sun does not rise and set at the same time for everyone.

Despite these early theories, the idea of a spherical Earth emerged in Greece. Pythagoras suggested a spherical shape as early as the 6th century BC. In the early 4th century BC, the philosopher Plato wrote about a spherical Earth. By about 330 BC, Aristotle provided strong empirical evidence for a spherical shape. Empirical evidence refers to information gained through observation and experience. This knowledge gradually spread beyond the Hellenistic world. By the early period of the Christian Church, the spherical view was widely held by many.

In East Asia, the perception of a flat Earth remained common for a long time. Ancient Chinese scholars often described the Earth as being flat and square. They believed the heavens were round, sometimes using the analogy of an egg.

This view persisted until they encountered Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century. Even when Chinese astronomers calculated the height of the Sun, they often did so by assuming the Earth was flat. This assumption led them to different mathematical results than those found in the West. It was only through contact with European astronomy that these views changed.

There is a common historical myth regarding the Middle Ages. Many people believe that medieval Europeans thought the Earth was flat. This is not true. The myth was actually created in the 17th century by Protestants. They wanted to argue against Catholic teachings. In reality, the spherical view was widely held during that time. Muslim scholars also moved toward a spherical view after the 9th century. The idea that the Middle Ages were defined by flat-Earth belief is a historical error.

In the modern era, flat-Earth ideas have returned through social media.

Since the 2010s, belief in these theories has increased among unaffiliated individuals. However, a firm belief in a flat Earth remains very rare. A 2018 study reported by Scientific American looked at young adults in America. It found that only 82% of 18- to 24-year-olds agreed they had always believed the world was round. Despite this, less than 2% of people in all age groups hold a firm belief in a flat Earth. The scientific evidence for a spherical Earth remains overwhelming and undisputed by the global scientific community.