No I haven't been assiduously following this thread. It's a waste of time.Robin Hood wrote: ↑April 5th, 2017, 12:41 amThen you clearly have not been following this thread, as I have repeatedly said that I am not a flat earther. Also I would have thought you would know that "demonstrate" does not mean "prove".larsenb wrote: ↑April 4th, 2017, 4:27 pmBut you said: “the famous Bedford Levels experiment, conducted in the 1800’s and which demonstrated a flat earth, was repeated last year . . . “Robin Hood wrote: ↑April 4th, 2017, 3:31 pm . . . . . I didn't say it proved a flat earth.
But you read into my words what you wanted to read, thus inadvertantly answering your later question regarding peer reviewed publications.
And went on to say: “This is very real and objective scientific evidence that anyone can repeat . . . “
For me and I would guess, almost anybody, this strongly implied you thought this proved the earth was flat, not just 6 miles of it.
Then you seem to shift this implied stance by saying: “the earth is clearly optically flat”.
OK, so you don’t really believe the entire earth is flat and DO believe that the earth forms a globe. Correct?? If so, why are you even getting into this discussion?? I don’t get it.
And “the real issue here is [NOT] that there are some people who are prepared to question things, even their firmly held beliefs, and some who aren’t”. I for one, am prepared to question the 'evidence' of a flat earth. And doing so says nothing about what else I, or anyone else, may question, even what may have been firmly held beliefs.
And your statement that “the earth is clearly optically flat”, is simply a matter of perspective.
Someone orbiting the earth would say “the earth is clearly optically round and globe-like". Or someone in a high flying Concord could hold up the long edge of an 8 ½ by 11 inch sheet of paper against the horizon and see the curvature of the horizon and honestly say that the earth was optically curved, at the very least.
And you lost me on your comment about the peer review issue. I take it you don't have a citation for this later experiment you mentioned, and know that it was not in a peer reviewed paper published in a scientific journal.
The Bedford Levels experiment, and many others of a similar vain, provide evidence but not proof. There is a big difference.
So how is this experiment even evidence that the earth is flat?? Can you explain it in your own words??
I'm also genuinely curious what your belief is about the shape of the earth. If not flat, do you think it is a globe or maybe a half-dome?