[titzer]

I've been perversely interested in this Flat Earth movement for a few months. There are a lot of long, stunningly stupid, vehemently argued YouTube videos out there from flat earthers. There are a couple of basic science-minded people who take them on, often with some pretty entertaining results. But one thing is clear is that the flat earthers simply aren't listening. It goes a lot deeper than misunderstandings of facts or what they see when they walk outside. It's really hard to explain such weaponized ignorance. They aren't asking questions, they don't want to know, they just want to tear down the establishment (by exposing secret inside knowledge) in whatever way they can. It's psychological and goes much deeper than beliefs.

[gliese1337]

It's not just flat-Earthers. I suspect this is reflective of some broader psychological phenomenon- what the article calls "conspiracy-theory psychology", but I don't think that quite covers it. I recently came across someone who was just as religiously convinced that JavaScript was not Turing-complete. No amount of mathematical argument could convince him otherwise. He didn't claim any conspiracy, just had an utter refusal to consider any evidence. It was surreal.

[brianclements]

This is an interesting topic on it's own. I think it has to do with the hyper-connectivity that our modern digital world provides that allows us to self-segregate and form self-supporting echo chambers for just about anything we want to believe. So while the psychological underpinnings for people preferring their beliefs over objective truth is just human nature, I think the potency of modern day conspiracy-theory thinking is because we really can form an entire world ourselves, (print/visual media, online communities, higher ed) that supports our own thinking and it gets further embedded.

[marcosdumay]

Well, the association on the article was founded at the XIX century.

I don't think it's our modern hyper-connected world.

[brianclements]

I wasn't focusing on the genesis of these ideas, which frankly have always been around in every technological era, I was talking about how such ideas can persist in the age of limitless information, education, and technology. And my answer was as stated above. The curious thing is that as information and access to information has increased, the "intrenchedness" of some of these fringe ideas has increased as well; like an opposite and equal effect. I would have expected the opposite. So I'd say that hyper-connectivity has made community ties stronger for believers in order to survive the information onslaught. Nothing binds a small community more then direct opposition from, well, everyone.

[Isamu]

>It's psychological and goes much deeper than beliefs.

Oh yes! And you can get into trouble trying to engage with logic, because that is not the name of the game.

>I've been perversely interested in this

Me too, and with other crankery. I recommend the book Mathematical Cranks for similar entertainment.

https://books.google.com/books/about/Mathematical_Cranks.htm...

Maybe I am interested in it because you begin to see small reflections of similar behavior everywhere once you start looking for it.

It seems rare at first, but now I think similar thinking is to be found everywhere, on lots of topics. It is really mostly a strident, emotional attachment to a point of view that is not founded on a desire to find the truth.

It is founded on a deep personal association. To deny your personal "truth" would be like tearing down your view of yourself. So instead it must be defended at all costs, which is fine because you already are certain it is "true".

[cfontes]

Those are the people targeted by "religious/cult" like business. This is just another instance of this, it's been happening since forever.

I find it amazing that this believing blindly in something so weird so easy for some people and it's definitely not related to their brain power, I know a few instances of very smart software developers, seriously smart people that believe in crazy cult like religions with aliens and stuff.

It's amazing how the brain is spitted, the part that you use to work and live is rational, methodical and precise the part that handles your feelings can be stupid, naive and gullible to the point where is overthrows your rational brain to the oblivion and you become a "Smapid" a Stupid Smart person that is a great coworker but I simply can't start any non work, business related conversation because it drives me insane.

It's really a waste.

[JoshTriplett]

Reminds me of the "invisible dragon in my garage" analogy from http://lesswrong.com/lw/i4/belief_in_belief/ :

> But now suppose that we say to the claimant, "Okay, we'll visit the garage and see if we can hear heavy breathing," and the claimant quickly says no, it's an inaudible dragon. We propose to measure carbon dioxide in the air, and the claimant says the dragon does not breathe. We propose to toss a bag of flour into the air to see if it outlines an invisible dragon, and the claimant immediately says, "The dragon is permeable to flour."

[GFK_of_xmaspast]

"It's not a dragon, it's a basilisk"