Why do people claim "Scientists once believed the world was flat"?

Question

Some 2000 years ago Eratosthenes measured the diameter of the world.

Since then, virtually anybody worthy of the term "scientist" accepted the data and a round Earth.

It was ignorant "skeptics" who denied the science and the data who thought the world was flat.

It's the same with global warming. The data shows it's real, and mostly caused by us. Even Richard Lindzen accepts that.

Two summaries of the mountain of data:

http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Image:Climate_Change_Attribution.png
http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/wg1-report.html
summarized at:
http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf

And the resulting consensus of scientists:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_opinion_on_climate_change
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/306/5702/1686

Answer 1

Actually, almost nobody anywhere ever believed the world was flat. This is a myth created by 19th century historians (principally Washington Irving) to puff up the reputation of Christopher Columbus.

Answer 2

Do not forget Ptolemy in 150 AD
Aristarchus in 350 BC, and
Pythagorus in 500 BC.

There were almost certainly others, as they all acknowledged that the idea was not original with them, as did Newton, Galileo and Copernicus.

Somehow it always does seem to be those dumb ignorant scientists who get everything all wrong, requiring the Jello's and Afrattas of the world to perpetually correct them. I was thinking of the "Ice age perdicted in the 1970's" That's represented as originating with scientists, but in fact amounted to a dununciation of them and their conclusions by one no doubt well meaning individual with an oppositional-defiant personality

Answer 3

It is so convoluted, it's actually mind boggling. They have conflated inaccurate conceptions of science into nonsense.

Kind of like my brother-in-law said to me one time...

"Those scientists, geeze, first they say one thing, then it changes, then they change it again...you can't trust those guys... it's all nonsense to me...I don't believe any of it...just do what you were going to do in the first place..."

Sadly, most people don't understand even basic science, math, the scientific method, logic, history...

The history of science is so facinating! When you read it with insight you can actually feel what they went through...a whole life work...going to the grave believing you had the answer...only to be debunked and reworked by the next master...each giant standing on the shoulders of those who came before...each iteration a more refined representation of the truth...

Where are we today? I think it's fair to say we got the basics pretty well nailed down.

Answer 4

on the tip of Ice Age, abrupt meltdown might make the international submerged in water, so, scientifically it would be plausible. i think as scientists have explored that a volcano from Indonesia have coated the earth with the aid of its ashes and brings the temperature down that have delivered Ice Age plausible after which meltdown began while the sky grow to be cleared and unfold out for the solar to soften the ice to its optimum shrink. Seashells... birds is additionally in charge approximately them bringing the seashells in the mountain. So, for myself... doubts lingers on approximately them and my guess is, the Bible have narrated a secluded case because of the fact the stability of the water point have delivered down a organic land barrier that makes the crimson Sea because it is at present, wherein brings diverse dying on its course as human beings living in the submerged land section have been overwhelmed with the aid of the water.

Answer 5

Well the Greeks did find the circumference of the earth when Greece was a great Empire. But after Rome fell, Europe went into a dark age and all that information was lost (including sewage systems and Central heating that the Romans invented)

I do feel the same way about Global Warming. People knew about it but just left it to rot and finally its beginning to pick up again. Even George Bush is starting to care. If you haven't herd he has set up a meeting to discuss Global Warming.

Answer 6

Because they don't know what they are talking about. People generally believe lies that have been around for a long time without actually doing some research on their own. Lazy = stupid.

Answer 7

Good question--but your details sort of answer the question. These people don't know history, either--and most definately not history of science.

Answer 8

dont worry so much
time will prove everything
it becoming tedious throwing links at each other
already the 150.000 people that die every year because of Global Warming were convinced of it just before they died .
this number is expected to double soon ,and 300.000 people will be convinced as well .
wait long enough and lots more people will become convinced ,
and at the end of the day we will have a convinced global community ,
And many people will become convinced way before that when the food prices rise ,and potable water will become precious.
The planet itself will convince the people just be patient and save your links

Answer 9

I guess objective science is now dead. The entire scientific community depends on the views of Richard Lindzen or the CEO of Wal-Mart to determine which science we should be following.

At one time the standard of science was objectivity. Where the science could stand on its own without the need for a person, group, or consensus to read the tea leaves, so to speak.

Now science has sunk to the level of subjective science where modern day soothsayers look over the data to claim they can see the future. Of course you can't even fathom the complexity of the data and the genius of the scientist unless you belong to the select group of climatologist wizardly.

Yes, objective science is now dead.

Answer 10

to show that science isnt always right....the globe is warming but a few hundred yrs ago there was a mini ice age...look it up! and befor that the earth warmed after the big ice age....warn/cold/warm/cold...get it???????