Well-known astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has well and truly shut down the Flat Earth theory with his latest response to the conspiracy theory.
The famous TV host appeared in a YouTube video on the StarTalk channel and when the subject came up, he let out his outrage over the theory, aiming to debunk it once and for all.
The Flat Earth theory basically subscribes to the idea that the world is a flat disk surrounded by ice - an old and outdated belief that has been disproved.
Advert
People that believe in the theory are known as 'Flat Earthers', making the judgement based on their senses and observations instead of relying on science.
They have often said that the world's leading scientific bodies, such as NASA, are purposely lying to the public about Earth's spherical shape.
Tyson can't believe that people still believe in the theory, saying: “What is odd, is there are people who think Earth is flat but recognise that the Moon is round, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and the sun are all spheres.
“But Earth is flat. Something doesn’t square,” he claimed.
Advert
The scientist said that most observable objects in space are round, only occasionally appearing flattened, claiming that the laws of physics and processes in space 'favour the sphere'.
He added: “And if something is not a sphere and is a little flattened, you can ask what flattened it, and you find out it’s rotating real fast.
“So then it gets a little flattened because of that. So almost everything in the universe is either a sphere or light distortion of a sphere, for some other things happening to it.
“We can just see how the universe favours spheres.”
Advert
While blaming the fundamental problems with free speech for the theory still standing, Tyson also shut down Flat Earthers for good with a simple yet powerful response when co-host Chuck Nice brought up the subject.
“We have video from space of the rotating, spherical Earth. The Earth is round,” he stated.
Tyson went on to criticise the American schooling system as well, claiming it doesn't teach children to think critically.
“Our system needs to train you not only what to know, but how to think about information and knowledge and evidence," he explained.
“If you don’t have that kind of training you would run around and believe anything.”
Advert
The Flat Earth Society consider themselves to be a serious movement though, as they claim to encourage the spread of ideas and free thought.
Around since at least 1865, they state on their website: “Flat Earth Theory has grown over the centuries like a wondering sojourner hungry for truth and eager for discovery.
“It’s changed from the learned conjectures by our ancestors of Antiquity to Victorian polymaths like Dr. Samuel Birley Rowbotham, and it even thrives today in a world-wide grassroots effort of scholarship.
“As people walked through the ages collecting data and knowledge, the Flat Earth Theory walked with them, growing wise and robust in kind,” they explain.
Joshua Nair