Nearly everybody is happy to jump on the few flat-earthers that we have here (Dave is the prime example). Some of those who attack the FE idea are Young Earth Creationists, who somehow miss that they are behaving in similar way.
For example, how to deal with facts.
Let's say you present Dave with a fact. Like how the sun looks when it rises and sets. How the observed stars move. How one can see further from the top of a mountain. How does a Flat Earther deal with such things? First of all, by denying them. By pretending that they just aren't facts. Photos of a sunset are faked. The distance you see from a mountain top is due to some atmospheric effect. Or you Globe Earthers are interpreting things wrong. Any excuse at all will work. If that doesn't work- change the topic, link to some video, or bring up something that isn't relevant.
Let's say you present a YEC with a fact. Like radiometric dating of rocks to billions of years ago. You'll get denial- the radiometric dating is wrong (some Anti Bible Conspiracy of Scientists might be to blame). Irrelevant facts or pseudo-facts, for example, examples of errors or inaccuracy in C14 dating. "You are interpreting the radiometric measurements wrong". Or a change of topic- a favorite one is the mechanism of evolution.
Likewise for the fossil record. There is a fossil record, and it shows that there are different creatures today than there were millions of years ago. We have denial: "There are no transition fossils." (there are) "You are just interpreting the record wrong" . "You are making the wrong assumptions" (again, some Anti Bible Conspiracy of Scientists might be to blame). Taking a YEC to a quarry to see some fossils with his own eyes would be as effective as taking a FE to see a sunset. The facts don't make any difference. Or a change of topic- a favorite one, as always, is the mechanism of evolution- even though it makes no difference at all what the mechanism is, if evolution in fact happens and happened.
Speaking of the mechanism of Evolution, the Barbarian has gone to great effort to explain how mutations can in fact increase information. The usual response is denial: "Entropy / Information theory doesn't allow for the increase of information." Yet it does, and The Barbarian has shown this both mathematically and experimentally. The most absurd responses sound like this "Darwinists always try to avoid dealing with the facts"- when in truth YECs, are the ones doing that.
Admittedly, Flat Earth is more obviously wrong. Anybody can go see a sunset or watch the stars and know this. Seeing that YEC is wrong requires a tad more effort. But the basic thinking is the same. My guess is that believing in a FE or YEC is such an important part of some people's belief system , that they simply can't admit that they are wrong.
For example, how to deal with facts.
Let's say you present Dave with a fact. Like how the sun looks when it rises and sets. How the observed stars move. How one can see further from the top of a mountain. How does a Flat Earther deal with such things? First of all, by denying them. By pretending that they just aren't facts. Photos of a sunset are faked. The distance you see from a mountain top is due to some atmospheric effect. Or you Globe Earthers are interpreting things wrong. Any excuse at all will work. If that doesn't work- change the topic, link to some video, or bring up something that isn't relevant.
Let's say you present a YEC with a fact. Like radiometric dating of rocks to billions of years ago. You'll get denial- the radiometric dating is wrong (some Anti Bible Conspiracy of Scientists might be to blame). Irrelevant facts or pseudo-facts, for example, examples of errors or inaccuracy in C14 dating. "You are interpreting the radiometric measurements wrong". Or a change of topic- a favorite one is the mechanism of evolution.
Likewise for the fossil record. There is a fossil record, and it shows that there are different creatures today than there were millions of years ago. We have denial: "There are no transition fossils." (there are) "You are just interpreting the record wrong" . "You are making the wrong assumptions" (again, some Anti Bible Conspiracy of Scientists might be to blame). Taking a YEC to a quarry to see some fossils with his own eyes would be as effective as taking a FE to see a sunset. The facts don't make any difference. Or a change of topic- a favorite one, as always, is the mechanism of evolution- even though it makes no difference at all what the mechanism is, if evolution in fact happens and happened.
Speaking of the mechanism of Evolution, the Barbarian has gone to great effort to explain how mutations can in fact increase information. The usual response is denial: "Entropy / Information theory doesn't allow for the increase of information." Yet it does, and The Barbarian has shown this both mathematically and experimentally. The most absurd responses sound like this "Darwinists always try to avoid dealing with the facts"- when in truth YECs, are the ones doing that.
Admittedly, Flat Earth is more obviously wrong. Anybody can go see a sunset or watch the stars and know this. Seeing that YEC is wrong requires a tad more effort. But the basic thinking is the same. My guess is that believing in a FE or YEC is such an important part of some people's belief system , that they simply can't admit that they are wrong.