Recently, the Internet has been flooded with information and programs about the so-called Flat Earth Theory. Let me point out at the outset that I am not a supporter of the so-called theory. flat Earth, a theory that has recently appeared on a large scale on social media.

REKLAMA

The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 triggered an avalanche of pseudoscientific hypotheses on social media presenting the details of the eclipse, allegedly providing evidence of the truthfulness of the vision of a flat Earth. (https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towarzystwo_P%C5%82askiej_Ziemi )

Also in 2017, a Tunisian PhD student caused a big stir in „flat-earther” circles by arguing in his doctoral thesis that the Earth is „flat, motionless, young (approx. 13,500 years old) and lies at the center of the universe.” (https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/phd-thesis-the-earth-is-flat-1.2009202 )

I’ve dabbled in fantasy in the past. I liked reading books about various interesting fantasy theories. I even invented in 1998 and published in 1999 a science fiction theory about the origin of the so-called glass meteorites, or in other words Tektites. Therefore, I decided to recall the knowledge about tektites, my theory, and add a new science fiction theory to flat earthers for the needs of the „Flat Earth Theory”  .

Of course, the „Flat Earth Theory” has no scientific reference and is disproved by many scientific evidence, although the arguments of the supporters of this theory are also interesting in terms of reaching the minds of some people. (Here are 10 scientific examples to refute this theory – https://www.national-geographic.pl/artykul/10-dowodow-na-to-ze-ziemia-nie-jest-plaska)

At the beginning, it should be stated that the view that the Earth is a ball was established in antiquity by Aristotle (384 – 322 BC). He presented evidence that remains largely correct to this day. The spherical nature of our planet was justified by, among others, based on the Earth’s shadow visible during lunar eclipses.

Eratosthenes of Cyrene (250 BC) was the first to attempt to determine the size of the Earth. He used measurements of the angle of incidence of sunlight and determined the degree of curvature of the Earth’s surface between designated points (Syene and Alexandria). This allowed him to estimate its radius at approximately 6,300 km.

The only „equipment” that Eratosthenes of Cyrene had at his disposal was a wooden pole, and in addition, he calculated the circumference of the Earth and was wrong by only 1%, so he was only wrong by 75 km. However, there are voices denying this and there are more and more of them. (https://www.wiatrak.nl/47659/eratostenes-z-cyreny-wpedzil-mnie-w-kompleksy )

Well, there are many different arguments in support of „Flat Earthers”, thanks to which the „Flat Earth Theory” has the support of a growing number of supporters, (as well as supporters that there has never been an astronaut landing on the Moon).

Contrary to the popular belief that the Earth was flat until a few hundred years ago, the sphericality of the Earth has been widely accepted in the Western world by scholars since at least the Hellenistic period (323–31 B.C.). It wasn’t until the 19th century that the concept of a flat Earth was revived, as I mentioned earlier. The modern belief in a flat Earth began with the English writer Samuel Rowbotham (1816–1884). Building on the conclusions of the 1838 Bedford Level experiment, Rowbotham published a pamphlet entitled Zetetic Astronomy in 1849, writing under the pseudonym „Parallax”. He later expanded on this in the book Earth Not a Globe, proposing that the Earth is a flat disk centered at the North Pole and bounded along its southern edge by a wall of ice, Antarctica. Rowbotham further held that the Sun and Moon were 4,800 km above the Earth, and „outer space” was 5,000 km above the Earth. He also published a leaflet titled The Inconsistency of Modern Astronomy and Its Opposition to Holy Scripture, in which he argued that „The Bible, alongside our senses, supported the view that the Earth was flat and motionless and that this essential truth should not be established outside a system based solely on human guesswork.”( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_flat_Earth_beliefs#Flat_Earth_Society )

  In the Bible it is described in Psalm 19:1 – „The heavens declare the glory of God, And the firmament declares the work of His hands.” 

It is worth emphasizing that even the creator of the American space program has the inscription on his tombstone – „Wernher von Braun (1912 – 1977) Psalms 19:1.”

Honestly, I was intrigued by the fact that according to the „Flat Earth Theory”, firmament is translated as „glass dome”. suggesting that the Earth is flat and surrounded by a glass ceiling. Science clearly indicates that the Earth is spherical, and the glass dome is another unconfirmed thesis. (https://demagog.org.pl/fake_news/plaska-ziemia-zamknieta-pod-szklana-kopula-teoria-spiskowa/ )

This phrase about a glass dome also appears in various conspiracy theories about glass domes on the far side of the Moon.

Great, so for the supporters of the „Flat Earth Theory” I also suggest my theory about the origin of Tektites, i.e. glass meteorites, that maybe they come from damage or breakage of the dome or domes?

I would like to remind you that I even published my work on this subject entitled: Glaze out of this world – published in 1999 in Cieszyn, ISBN8391222004, 9788391222003 and expanded in the next book entitled Tektites Star Wars Relics – published in 2000 in Cieszyn, ISBN8391222012, 9788391222010. Part of this work on meteorites and tektites was also published in the monthly Nieznany Świat in no. 12 from 2000 and from 3 to 8 and from 10 to 12 from 2004, as well as in the Meteoryt Quarterly and other publications (plus an interview-radio broadcast in December 2000 in Nautilus of Radio Zet). Recently also at Pressmania.pl in 2020 and 2021, which I divided into extensive fragments into ten parts (X) plus an eleventh (XI) appendix.( http://pressmania.pl/?s=%C5%9AWI%C4%98TE+KSI%C4%98GI+OPISUJ%C4%84CE+LOTY+I+WOJNY+KOSMICZNE )

I recommend the main assumptions of my science fiction theory about the origin of tektites and how it was developed, which I described in this text, which I highly recommend – http://pressmania.pl/szklane-meteoryty-niczy-tektyty-skad-pochodza-fantastyka-a -maybe-but-not/

To the various hypotheses provided and the chronological list of the more important theories of the origin of tektites, I added my science fiction theory, which was first published in 1999, namely:

No. 35 They are fragments of crashed orbital stations and vimana vehicles made of glass and silicon, as well as remnants of star wars thousands and millions of years ago – Kotowiecki 1999

 Finally, I would like to emphasize that the „Flat Earth Theory” assumes that we live on a huge disk surrounded by a high ice wall in Antarctica and that we are limited from above by a huge glass dome. According to this vision, gravity does not exist, and the illusion of gravity is caused by the uniformly accelerated upward movement of the Earth. Another view is that the Earth is a disk with an infinite surface.

That’s why it’s worth adding this one more theory for science fiction lovers:

No. 36. They are debris from catastrophes related to cracks and damage to the „Glass Dome” over our Earth as stated in the „Flat Earth Theory”, possibly also damage to such glass domes on the Moon, which can also be learned about from the Internet.

I think it’s possible that I’m offering this new „theory” as an idea for new science fiction literature in our literary-internet space.

I also checked that no one in the world has connected the „glass dome” with tektites ☺ .

So I wish you good luck in your further research on the „Flat Earth Theory”.

 

About the author: Andrzej Kotowiecki

Born in Wadowice in 1954. A lawyer by education, studies at the Jagiellonian University, a prosecutor by profession, a passionate historian, archaeologist, geologist, paleontologist, religious expert, collector and traveler. Founding member of the Polish Meteorite Society.