why did they used to think the world was flat?

Answer 1

Assumptions and closed minds. We still see other examples today.

Answer 2

the historic Greeks knew that the international replaced into no longer flat, they did not all have self assurance it replaced into round. the concept that the uncouth human beings of the middle a at the same time as idea the Earth replaced into flat is an get at the same time of the parable that has been propagated because the 19th century to grant us a truly unfair view of the time. The Greeks figure for the Earth's circumference of 250,000 stadia. relying on how lengthy a stadia easily replaced into that's the equivalent of about 23,000 miles, very close to to the real figure of 24,900 miles.

Answer 3

The earth is so large that it curves only very slightly over visible distances, hence the curve was imperceptible. No one had ever suggested it may be 3D and they could not get in an aeroplane and fly around to see the shape. No one sailed far enough to find it was round because they feared they would fall from the edge. In conclusion, because the idea already existed that the earth should be 2D and flat and no one dared, had reason to or could easily see otherwise.

Answer 4

It actually requires quite a leap of imagination to think of the world as being round. It looks flat up close. We have the evidence of the moon hanging above us, but in antiquity, how could they have known that the moon was just a smaller version of the earth floating in space? I actually think its more remarkable that people proposed that the world was round 2000 years before they'd been up in space and looked down on it, and 1500 years before they'd travelled round the world in ships (see link - Eratosthenes, 3rd Century BC and Pliny the Elder, 1st Century AD)...

Answer 5

some of you people...this has NOTHING to do with religion. get over yourselves.


it is a common misconception that up until Columbus people believed the earth was flat. the ancient Greeks knew it was round long before. you are sailing in a ship. you see a ship sailing away in the distance. it slowly sinks down below the horizon. it doesn't just instantly disappear. it doesn't take too much to realize the earth isn't flat.

Answer 6

Before,the saying (seeing is believing) was prime they could see that they were standing on strait ground so they thought that the whole world was strait or flat.
When I was a Little child (2-4) I also thought that the world was flat,other children also probably thought that.

Answer 7

When you look out at the sea you see to the horizon, then the earth curves and continues on. If you stand on the top of a plateau you see the edge of the cliff, and at the edge there is a large fall. If you see the edge of the ocean on the horizon what would you think was at that edge? A large fall perhaps. Who knows? No one has been there before that you know of.

Answer 8

Religion has a lot to do with that. Science and truth aren't at the forefront of the religious agenda. Those in power made the choice to promote the idea simply because they really believed it to be true. Like a child who is told to not open the closet at night because there are monsters in there, the leaders of early civilization were reluctant or afraid to go exploring to find that the Earth isn't what they fantasized to be.

Answer 9

This is an urban myth.

Noone has ever seriously believed that.

What is true is that evolutionists falsely accused Christians of believing it.

http://www.googlesyndicatedsearch.com/u/creationontheweb?q=flat+earth&hl=en&lr=

Answer 10

they thot it was flat because the horizon is flat and if they got there they would fall off the earth

Answer 11

many years ago they had not Enif knowledge about the Ertha .the
arkimithis is the first to say the world is not flot sam 400 yiars bc
in siraqious sisely.