Welp. Shaquille O'Neal -- retired NBA superstar and star of the 1996 movie Kazaam -- believes the Earth is flat, and you know what? I'm not interested in trying to convince him otherwise. 。
This is tough to admit for a space reporter like me, but I'm not the least bit interested in trying to convince any "flat-Earther" that our planet is actually round. 。
SEE ALSO:Shaq is a flat-Earther too, apparently。You may be saying to yourself, "Oh, that's a really close-minded way of seeing your fellow humans, Miriam. All they need is a logical explanation and positive encouragement and they'll learn the truth, right?" 。
Eh, probably not. Abundant social science evidence on everything from global warming denial to moon landing conspiracy theories shows that simply giving people more information won't make them change their minds when they have strong preexisting beliefs. 。
Via Giphy
。If a person has gone so far as to convince themselves that the Earth is flat, bucking all basic scientific evidence to the contrary, that means they would be convinced that I'm lying to them. 。
So, yeah, forgive me, but I don't see much point in arguing with that. I'll find another wall to beat my head against. 。
The fact is, you have to believe so many conspiracies in order to arrive at the conclusion that the Earth is actually flat that it's doubtful that my logical arguments will help convince anyone otherwise.。
Thanks for signing up! 。
Yes, NASA spacecraft and actual astronauts have taken proper photos of Earth from space before, but that won't help if you believe that NASA is covering up evidence of a flat Earth and that the agency faked the moon landing.。
Sure, our observations of the solar system only really fit if the planet is round, and even eclipses only make sense if the Earth were a sphere. 。
But again, none of that means anything if you can't accept that hundreds of years of scientific inquiry have led us to some type of truth about the shape of our world. 。Via Giphy 。
Just to be clear, there's a difference between a person who's genuinely curious about how we know the Earth is round -- which is a good question for anyone to ask -- and a person who really believes it's flat. 。 I'm happy to engage in a dialogue with someone who wants to understand how we know the Earth is round, but I see no point in trying to convince someone that the Earth is。not 。
not 。
flat. 。
As former Massachusetts congressman Barney Frank famously told a town hall questioner, “Trying to have a conversation with you would be like arguing with a dining room table.” I understand that it's difficult to believe something you can't see on a day to day basis. I get that me telling you that the curvature of the Earth is visible from space and even a plane is not the same as actually seeing it for yourself. 。It also might be a weird leap of logic to think that even though the Earth。
It also might be a weird leap of logic to think that even though the Earth 。
seems 。
(责任编辑：百科)
Slack goes down again, prompting anxiety everywhereJosh Norman will mime drinking beer to prove his point about the NFLNorthern lights put on a stunning show in the UKHulu renews 'Difficult People' for third season
Felix the cat just raised £5000 for charity because she's the hero we all needTwo states took big steps this week to get rid of the tampon tax
This week was a big one for those advocating against a tampon tax. 。 First, on Thursday, California t
...[详细]Man accidentally catches massive 14
That would make a lot of lobster rolls.。 Tristin Loescher was fishing for snapper in Bermuda when he
...[详细]A sloth Photoshop battle is the only thing better than a sloth
Baby sloths don't need photoshop to look beautiful -- they are perfect as they are. 。Still, r/photosh
...[详细]iPhone 7 subjected to bizarre rubber torture for your amusement
At last, we know what happens when you completely drown an iPhone 7 in liquid rubber. 。TechRax, the Y
...[详细]Nancy Pelosi warns colleagues after info hacked
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi warned fellow Democrats on Saturday to change their cellphone num
...[详细]Bottle flip majorly backfires thanks to a basketball
This has been a
。 weird 。 year. And one of 2016's weirdest trends has been bottle flipping.。Impulsive
...[详细]Twitter is now worth less than its Chinese clone
China’s Weibo, started in 2009 as a Twitter clone, is suddenly worth more than Twitter itself.
...[详细]Apple bets on Reliance Jio as iPhone sales in India increase 50%
India is continuing to show growth in iPhone sales, as most other countries including China are slow
...[详细]U.S. pole vaulter skids to a halt for national anthem
An American pole vaulter took his patriotism to the next level at the Olympics.
。Sam Kendricks, a sec
...[详细]The best and worst iPods from the last 15 years
These days, the iPhone and iPad are Apple's bread and butter. But before they arrived on the scene t
...[详细]U.S. pole vaulter skids to a halt for national anthem
10 ‘Civilization VI’ beginner tips to help you rule the world
Via Giphy
。