Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything

by Kelly Weill

Since 2015, there has been a spectacular boom in a nearly two-hundred-year-old delusion—the idea that we all live on a flat plane, under a solid dome, ringed by an impossible wall of ice. It is the ultimate in conspiracy theories, a wholesale rejection of everything we know to be true about the world in which we live. Where did this idea come from? Weill draws a straight line from today’s conspiratorial moment back to the early days of Flat Earth theory in the 1830s, showing the human impulses behind divergences in belief. Faced with a complicated world out of our individual control, we naturally seek patterns to explain the inexplicable. The only difference between then and now? Social media. And, powered by Facebook and YouTube algorithms, the Flat Earth movement is growing.

At once a definitive history of the movement and a readable look at its expansive, absurd, and dangerous present, Off the Edge introduces us to a cast of larger-than-life characters, from 19th-century grifters to 20th-century small-town tyrants to the provocateurs of Alex Jones’s early-aughts internet, whose rancor sowed the early seeds of our modern division. We accompany Weill to Flat Earther conferences, where we meet moms on vacation, determined creationists, scammy YouTube celebrities and their victims, neo-Nazi rappers, and even a man determined to fly into space in a homemade rocket-powered balloon—whose tragic death proves as senseless and absurd as the theory he set out to prove.

Incisive and clear-eyed, Off the Edge tells a powerful story about belief, exploring how we arrived at this moment of polarized realities and explaining what needs to happen so that we might all return to the same spinning globe.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, Psychology, Science, Audiobook, Sociology

Audible Audio

First published February 22, 2022

Reviews

[Jenna ❤ ❀ ❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine being told your entire life that the earth is round. Your parents, your teachers, your friends, your religious leaders.  Everyone you knew said the earth is a globe orbiting the sun. 

And then you learn the truth: Everyone in your entire life who you trusted had lied to you. 

Thankfully you finally stumbled upon the truth and you know it's the truth because you saw it on YouTube and having a YouTube channel and paranoid delusions automatically qualifies someone an expert in any and every subject. 

The world is flat, the Jews plan to take over the world and so do the gays, vaccines cause autism, Trump "really" won the election, the Holocaust didn't happen, Jesus Elvis is alive, the Illuminati, New World Order, Pizzagate.....

And let's not leave out that Coronavirus is fake and at the same time it was created by the Democrats in America to bring about socialism and at the same time it was created by the Chinese to destroy America (so let's hate all Asians), and at the same time it was created by Bill Gates in order to introduce a fake vaccine that really is just a tracking chip injected into gullible humans.....

Whew! How do people remember all this? Even more, how do they believe any of it?? Just sit with any of these for about fifteen seconds and a rational mind will reject them. 

I was astonished when I first heard that there are people who believe the world is flat. The ancient Greeks figured out we live on a globe thousands of years ago and every bit of science confirms this. Yet there are people who think it's all a hoax, that the earth is as flat as a pancake. All those images of the round earth taken from space are fakes. All of the world's governments are in on the conspiracy. 

Really??! Like, how do you even think up something like this?

When I saw this book was being published, I immediately had to add it. 

The author is a journalist who has been researching Flat Earthers for a couple of years. She joined their online forums, attended Flat Earther conventions, she got to know many of the people who hold this delusion. 

Kelly Weill takes us back a couple hundred years to England and the birth of the modern Flat Earther movement. It was interesting to learn about these characters, what they thought and why. She brings us up to the present, where the movement is growing due to its online presence.

Off the Edge is fascinating and well-researched. The author, unlike me, doesn't poke fun at Flat Earthers but instead tries to understand the mindset that allows people to believe such things. 

Ms. Weill explains, "Conspiracies theories are ways to construct order and meaning in times of uncertainty." They "help people grapple with feelings of powerlessness by positioning other human beings, with agendas and motivations, as responsible for medical conditions. In doing so, believers can avoid the uncomfortable truth: that life and death can lie with something like a virus, which cannot be voted out of office or sued for medical malpractice."

We are all capable of belief in conspiracy theories, none of us are immune. However, the biggest predictor that someone will believe any given conspiracy theory is that they already believe in one or more. 

Insightful and well-written, this is a book for anyone with an interest in conspiracy theories (the wtf? and the how?, not the believers in). 

Though the book is mainly about Flat Earth "truthers", it briefly looks at some of the other popular conspiracy theories circulating today. Many of these I was familiar with though that didn't prevent me from scrunching up my forehead, raising an eyebrow, and shaking my head in disbelief...... 

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Off The Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Believe Anything by Kelly Weill is an Algonquin Books publication.

We’ve all seen multiple fringe conspiracy theories gain alarming traction over the past several years. One of the more curious and perplexing of those is the belief that the earth is flat. Kelly Weill, of ‘The Daily Beast’ has studied this phenomenon and its history for a long while now.

It would seem this belief has been around for ages, and while it has waned and gone through periods of dormancy, it is puzzlingly persistent. It was perhaps kept in the public eye to some extent because it was made fun of -sort of like our modern version of the ‘tin foil hat wearers’.

Today, though, conspiracy theories have become mainstream, largely thanks to the internet, and social media. YouTube and Facebook are the worst offenders, thanks to their algorithms, and reluctance to change said format because of how profitable these topics are.

Weill doesn’t take a disdainful approach, though. In fact, Weill legitimately listens to some of the believers and at times seems to genuinely feel for them.

Weill admits to having some conspiracy leaning tendencies, herself, on occasion, which caused me to stop and ask myself if I too had any such inclinations. Well, as it turns out, I do. While I grew up in a ‘no nonsense’ household, I had a relative who was very into the JFK assassination theories. As a young adult, I too began to study these various opinions, looking at the evidence, and the really weird occurrences that followed. I was probably the only person my age who checked out the Warren Report from the library along with Jim Garrison's 'On the Trail of the Assassins.'

That said, as I matured, I could easily weed out far-flung ‘Jim Marrs’ like ideas and took a much more critical approach- though, to this day, I remain unconvinced of the ‘lone gunman’ theory.

I never got into any other conspiracies- though occasionally, though I couldn’t understand why people couldn’t see through them, I found them entertaining or amusing- like the ‘Paul is Dead’ conspiracy, for example.

That attitude no longer applies as I see how very, very dangerous it can be, and how closely tied the psychology is to cult-like behavior- almost like cousins, if you will.

Because people really believe, without one iota of evidence, that celebrity elites are drinking the blood of children to retain their youth- perhaps websites, videos, etc., should be given a warning label or disclaimer- at the very least.

This book is fascinating- though over the past couple of years I have learned a little about this topic, on my own, such as how social media algorithms contribute to the problem, and about some of the psychology behind the conspiracy theory trends.

The author makes some very interesting points about demographics, and how the more prominent or well-known a theory is, the more followers it attracts, and about falling into or out of rabbit holes.

While the author sticks to her focused topic of flat-earthers, which of course is just one of many crazy theories that have nothing concrete to back them up, and plenty of real, hardcore truths to debunk it, Weill does tie in the newer issues at hand, like QAnon, among other popular movements, etc., as they tend to stem from some of the same social concerns, fears, and other factors that have kept flat-earthers alive and well.

Overall, the history of the flat earth theory is very interesting. I had no idea how far back it went, and I think Weill makes many valid points in this book about how these theories emerge, when they tend to be more prominent and why we are seeing such a huge growth in believers. The book is also quite chilling and is obviously very, deeply concerning…

4 stars

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Kelly Weill

Kelly Weill, a reporter for 'The Daily Beast', found it hard to believe Flat Earthers really thought our planet is as flat as a pancake. But after Weill spent years hobnobbing with Flat Earthers at conferences across the United States, and interviewing them on weekends, Kelly realized that "Flat Earthers are as serious as your life."



In this book Weill traces the Flat Earth movement from its beginnings in the 1800s to current times, when Flat Earthers tend to get tangled in additional conspiracy theories.

The first 'modern' proponent of a flat Earth was Samuel Birley Rowbotham, a 22-year-old radical who was "occasionally high off his mind on laughing gas when he began imagining a new world in 1838....a moment ripe for conspiracy theories."


Samuel Birley Rowbotham

This was a time of rapid industrialization and income inequality, and laborers worried that new technologies would leave them unemployed. In addition, early evolutionary biology was starting to challenge biblical descriptions of creation. Weill writes, "Conspiracy theories help us feel safe by providing an explanation for things that feel incomprehensible and beyond our control. This dynamic can influence us in measurably silly ways."

The modern configuration of the solar system has been known since the 1500s, and by Rowbotham's time (most) people knew the Earth is round.


Configuration of the Solar System

Rowbotham didn't accept this, however, and referred to the Bible for confirmation, saying a round Earth would mean "there could be no heaven for man's future enjoyment; no higher existence than on this Earth; no spiritual and immortal creatures, and therefore no God or Creator."

Rowbotham suggested that scientists, intellectuals and academics - who said the Earth is round - had some evil agenda, and he railed against them in his speeches. Rowbotham managed to convert some some people to his way of thinking, though LEGITIMATE experiments ALWAYS proved the Earth is round.

Nevertheless, Flat Earthers couldn't accept the truth. In 1870, a wealthy Flat Earther named John Hampden placed an advertisement in the publication 'Scientific Opinion' offering £500 (about £60,000 present day) for proof the Earth is round.


John Hampden

The well-known scientist Alfred Russel Wallace took up the challenge, and a test was conducted at the Bedford Canal, "the mecca of England's Flat Earth scene." After a series of experiments that Flat Earthers tried their best to sabotage, Wallace won the £500 prize.


Alfred Russel Wallace

Hampden was furious and sent letters full of violent abuse to Wallace and many of his friends, charging the scientist with fraud and conspiracy. For example, a letter from Hampden to Wallace's wife read, "If your infernal thief of a husband is brought home some day on a hurdle, with every bone in his head smashed to a pulp, you will know the reason....he is a lying infernal thief, and as sure as his name is Wallace he never dies in his bed. You must be a miserable wretch to be obliged to live with a convicted felon...." Hampden eventually had to pay libel claims, lost all his money, and went to prison because of his behavior.

Rowbotham's Flat Earth movement was continued by John Alexander Dowie, then by Wilbur Glenn Voliva, who was exceptionally aggressive about spreading the word.


John Alexander Dowie


Wilbur Glenn Voliva

In the 1900s, Voliva pushed his Flat Earth agenda by launching a religious radio station, publishing newspapers, making speeches, going on world tours, and establishing his own town called Zion City - where schools taught the Earth is flat. After Voliva died in 1942, his movement abated....but didn't completely go away.


Sign in Zion City

One would think Flat Earthers would be forced to admit the truth in 1966 when NASA's Lunar Orbiter 1 sent back pictures of the Earth that showed a clearly round planet.


Photo of Earth from NASA's Lunar Orbiter 1

These images didn't convince Flat Earthers, though, who claimed they were doctored, staged, and so on. This was a harbinger of the conspiracy theorists who questioned the moon landing in 1969, insisting "the government and the news media conspired to hoodwink the public."


Neil Armstrong walking on the moon

Weill writes that after a Flat Earth evangelist called Charles Johnson died in 2001, the Flat Earth movement became relatively dormant.


Charles Johnson

The author goes on, "Then in 2015, the year Donald Trump launched a conspiracy-laden presidential campaign that many dismissed as a joke, Flat Earth began a much-mocked comeback....By November, 2018, Trump had spent two years in the presidency shaping U.S. policy after his paranoid impulses, and the Flat Earth movement was bigger than ever."

The Flat Earther resurgence was largely due to the internet. Weill observes, "conspiracy theorists became experts in exploiting the web, breaking the internet in ways that shaped how we use it today." Of course Flat Earthers were not the only conspiracists spreading their ideas on the World Wide Web.

Platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter were employed to promote anti-vaccine conspiracies; claims that Covid-19 was a hoax; Pizzagate (a conspiracy theory that claimed Hillary Clinton's emails contained coded messages connecting Democrat Party officials and U.S. restaurants with a human trafficking and pedophile ring); QAnon (a theory that President Trump was waging a secret war against Satan-worshipping pedophiles in government, business and the media); the belief that Trump won the 2020 presidential election.....and on the extreme right, Neo-Nazis, other anti-Semites, and people against LGBTQ rights.

Moreover Flat Earthers, who are frequently on the internet, tend to embrace additional conspiracy theories. (This is not to suggest they're all Neo-Nazis or anything like that.)


In 2019 Flat Earther Mike Hughes planned to launch himself into the sky to prove the Earth is flat

Unfortunately for Flat Earthers, they are often the victims of their beliefs. In 2018 an Ohio pastor named Nate Wolfe was fired for planning a Flat Earth sermon.



Wolfe says his firing was traumatic, and his family was devastated. He notes, "The church was most of our family and close friends. When I got fired, there was only a handful, like literally four or five people out of two hundred, that reached out to us....It was like, all of a sudden, we didn't exist." According to Weill, Flat Earthers are often shunned by family, friends, and the general public, and believers claim they've been called things like crazy, retard, flat-tard, etc. On the part of the Flat Earthers themselves, they tend to form a kind of cult that has "Jesus and the online Flat Earth community."



Weill is fair-minded in her approach to Flat Earthers, some of whom she considers friends. The author writes that Flat Earthers can't be 'converted' to Globe Earthers with facts, which they'll reject. Psychologists offer the following advice for people trying to pry someone from a cult like Flat Earth: "Keep in communication with that person. Remind them that another world exists outside their faith community. This, in itself, can be difficult, especially when the group preaches ideals that are baffling, even amoral, to the person on the outside."

However, two 'reformed' Flat Earthers, Jose Gonzalez and Craig Pennock, were able to move on from the Flat Earther cult "with support from real-world communities who welcomed them back when they returned to the globe." Gonzalez says about the time he was a Flat Earth conspiracy theorist, "I was laughed at. I had a lot of issues with my family." But after Gonzalez left Flat Earth, "everything came back to life."


Former Flat Earther Jose Gonzalez

Weill has done extensive research and covers all facets of Flat Earthism, as well as various other conspiracy theories, in detail. If you're interested in the subject, this is the book for you.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Off the Edge is about one of the more bizarre conspiracy theories circulating today: belief that the Earth isn’t a sphere but instead a disk. Author Kelly Weill traces the path of this conspiracy theory, from its birth to now, when the delusion is popular enough to justify annual “Flat-Earth” conferences. Belief in this conspiracy theory accelerated in 2014, but it started humbly 150 years before, when it was overwhelmingly greeted with what it should always be: laughter and dismissal.

Weill digs into her topic deeply. For research she attended the Flat-Earth conferences to interview attendees and to listen to various speakers. She observed Flat-Earth Facebook groups, watched Flat-Earth YouTube videos, and listened to Flat-Earth podcasts. She understands the conspiracy theory thoroughly and what makes believers tick.

Weill’s use of all that media is meaningful. A large chunk of Off the Edge speaks blisteringly of social media, a force whose unchecked promotion of conspiracy theories cannot be overstated. YouTube in particular is hugely responsible for indoctrination, thanks to an algorithm that encourages users to chain-watch videos on whichever topic they’re exploring. Facebook and Reddit groups, by enabling people to unite and encourage each other 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, cement the delusions. Under pressure to stop this, YouTube and Facebook have changed some things, and Reddit deletes pernicious groups in general, but conspiracy theorists are forceful and persistent.

This book is a critical look at the Flat-Earth conspiracy movement but not an unfair one. Weill explains the theory, including description of Flat Earthers’ alternative disk-model of Earth, and offers a full profile of the typical believer. She doesn’t misrepresent the conspiracy movement or use a mocking tone—not that she needs to. Believers’ statements, so littered with ignorance of certain aspects of physics and inability to recognize illogic, mock them all on their own. Weill shares the proofs for Earth’s spherical shape, proofs so easy to understand and observe that I was left thinking that people who hold firm to fanciful—inventive, really—conspiracy theories must do so because they just really want to.

Off the Edge emphasizes that stubborn adherence. Reasoning with conspiracy theorists is usually futile because they’re convinced that anyone outside their clique of belief is brainwashed by the government, the scientific community, or some other large entity. However, just as anyone can fall under the spell of a charismatic cult leader or be fooled by a scam, anyone can adopt conspiratorial thinking:

Conspiratorial thinking is not a weird pathology, experienced by some and absent in others. It’s part of a mental process hardwired into all of us. [...] The same powers of abstraction that make humans good at detecting patterns (like anticipating storms when dark clouds gather) can make us imagine patterns where they don’t exist, especially when we’re feeling stressed or powerless. Rather than languish in the unknown, we tell ourselves stories about the secret causes of our troubles.

This is an essential point, both as a buttress for the adage “forewarned is forearmed” and for keeping smugness at bay. No one is so smart as to be immune to certain things.

Additionally, cults and conspiratorial movements are similar. Cult-exit psychologist Rachel Bernstein calls them cousins: “...their followers form insular sects. Followers of both cults and conspiracy theories often grow fiercely protective of their cliques [...] you’re either helping the movement, or actively hurting it.” This is particularly true of the Flat-Earth conspiracy theory. It lacks a central, controlling god-like figure like cults have; instead members monitor each other and quickly ostracize those who show unfaithfulness to the delusion. The more they isolate themselves from the outside world and band together (made so easy by groups on social media), the more deluded they become.

This is troubling, because to escape conspiratorial belief, maintaining a connection to the outside world, especially to nonbelievers, is vital. The book ends as many of these do now, fortunately: by highlighting solutions. Weill profiles two men who were able to extricate themselves from the cult of Flat-Earth belief, and what they have in common are “Globe-Earther” friends who called them out on their nonsense. Most conspiracy theorists, however, (understandably) lose friends, and often relationships with family members, too. (This solution seems simplistic, though. Countless friends and family members of conspiracy theorists can attest to repeatedly pointing out the falsehoods in a conspiracy theorist’s thinking yet getting nowhere. The two men Weill profiles probably never got rooted in their belief, in addition to being open to hearing criticism of it in the first place. Far too many conspiracy theorists are the opposite.)

Off the Edge is mostly about the Flat-Earth conspiracy movement, but Weill also talks about general conspiratorial belief. Right now a significant number of bored people can’t accept that life could possibly be as ordinary as it is and need to subscribe to notions befitting sci-fi or espionage novels. This isn’t simply kookiness; it’s dangerous. Widespread conspiratorial belief (and it is growing) contributes to societal instability. It isn’t hyperbolic to say that if a conspiracy theory is allowed to spread until it becomes the dominant belief, it threatens lives. The Department of Homeland Security labels white-supremacist extremism a domestic terror threat, and conspiratorial belief and extremism (especially antisemitism) tend to go hand in hand. We need books like Weill’s because the first step to solving a problem is to recognize it. On the personal level the first step to preventing a problem is to recognize it—everything about it.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. I'm curious about the "flat Earth" theories.

[Heather]

I feel like I can't give this an accurate rating because it's not the author's fault I went into it expecting something somewhat different. I did not realize that the majority of this book would be specifically about flat earthers and include so much history. I thought it would cover a wider range of topics, but there were only a few short chapters about things like Q-Anon, COVID conspiracies, etc. If you are specifically interested in flat earthers, this is definitely the right book to read. I did really like the way she showed how flat earther-ism has evolved into something very alt-right.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 thoughts soon.

[Nathan Shuherk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure the book precisely delivers on the subtitle of “why people would believe anything.” The book gets better as it goes along, but the start of it with the history of the conspiracy was slow and obviously written from a journalist and not someone more well versed in writing history. After those 2.5 chapters, the book is interesting but still struggles pacing. Concluding two chapters were the highlights. 3.5. Thanks Algonquin for the review copy. Review coming soon to tiktok.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

C/W:death by suicide, family estrangement, racism, antisemitism

Off the Edge had some interesting tidbits but felt unfocused. It's part Flat Earth history, part memoir, and part sociological look at why people are willing to believe in conspiracy theories. These elements had the potential to work well together if they had been tied together more cohesively. Instead each chapter felt distinctly different from the one that came before -- more like reading a lot of longform news articles than narrative non-fiction.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kelly Weill is a reporter for the Daily Beast, a legitimate left-leaning news source, and her beat is extremist movements and conspiracy theories. The beginning of the book is the history of the Flat Earthers, dating to the early 19th century, backfill for her contemporary research on the modern movement. Members believe that governments and scientists are selling a “global lie” in order to control the world by tarnishing religious teaching. One guy told her that they want people to be confused when the aliens land, mistake Jesus for an alien and then kill him. She says, “Conspiracies theories are a way to construct order and meaning in times of uncertainty. They let us shape our fears into something we understand.” A “stolen election” and a world-wide pandemic was the perfect storm.

She attended FE (Flat Earth) conferences, ultimately making friends from some of the followers. The early movement would have died out for lack of interest, but enter social media which is like pouring gas on a fire. The FEers fell in bed with the Truthers that Trump gave birth to, and of course with the stolen election and MAGA group. Believe it or be ostracized - Very cultish. Don’t be afraid to check the authors facts. Mike Adams really did generate a ton of money selling subscriptions to untruths about Y2K creating world-wide panic.

“When I read back on my first published interview with the Flat Earth Society, I can acknowledge that its premise was a silly joke that probably gave the society unwarranted publicity. But other passages read like warnings from the future.” We are in the future.

[TraceyL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book does mention a few other conspiracy theories, it is mainly about Flat Earthers and how the internet makes it easy for people to fall down a rabbit hole of fake information.

I expected it to be more fun? A lot of the quotes from the conspiracy theorists are absolutely bonkers, so I was expecting a bit of a sense of humor to it. It actually takes the content very seriously, and as I read it I did realize how harmful these communities can be and how they are destroying people's lives, so really it should have a more somber tone.

[Moran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going into it, I thought Off the Edge would be a broader examination of the conspiracy community in the United States. It turns out that the entire book is structured around the Flat Earth conspiracy, which has gained momentum in recent years but which seems to have its origins as far back as the 1800s.

The first three chapters dealt specifically with the founding of the conspiracy (by a dimwit opportunist named Rowbotham) and the propagation of his idea around the world through small groups of people that were similarly confused or simply looking to make a quick dollar. I found these first few chapters to be a bit tedious, but they were helpful in establishing the thought process of the Flat Earth movement while also contrasting its founding with the current charlatans who peddle it for profit.

Two of the cornerstones of the Flat Earth movement are a literal interpretation of the Bible (thus immutably tying the movement to religion) and a half-baked concept referred to as the zetetic method. The essence of this latter framework is similar to a concept learned by many toddlers and which is broadly referred to as object permanence. In short, zetetics believe that if they have not seen or experienced something, they cannot be sure that it exists. This obviously helps to propagate a lot of conspiracy theories, from the most innocuous like the thought that the Earth is flat to the more sinister like racism and antisemitism.

While foundationally flawed, having this understanding of a Flat Earther’s frame of thinking helps shed light on how and why so many end up on the slippery slope towards more sinister and dangerous conspiracies.

Personally, I found the last three chapters of the book to be the most interesting and most inline with what I was anticipating. The first of the last three chapters is simply titled “Mike” in honor of an adventurous Flat Earther who sought to view Earth from space and ended up killing himself in a faulty backyard rocket launch. The chapter helps to humanize the people trapped in this conspiracy. Mike is one of them, but Weill also highlights other adventurers who are ready to die in their attempt to traverse Antarctica in hopes of reaching the edge of the Earth or who are hoodwinked into spending thousands of dollars on imaginary expeditions that never materialize.

The penultimate chapter is about antisemitism within the Flat Earth community. Inevitably, many conspiracy theories, especially ones that believe in some secret sect working to obfuscate the truth from the world, end up blaming the Jews for humanity’s struggles. Weill addresses this very personally, acknowledging her own family history of Judaism and confronting people at Flat Earth conferences about their regard toward her and other Jews. She also interviews a Jewish Flat Earther who is friends with a stand-up comedian who works the conspiracy circuit and whose jokes would be deemed as outright racism and antisemitism in any other circle. The head-on approach to the topic is very interesting and exhilarating.

The last chapter talks about where we go from here as a society. In this chapter, Weill highlights how social media companies have managed to reduce the spread of many of these conspiracies and also how some Flat Earthers ended up leaving the conspiracy. Unfortunately, leaving the Flat Earth community is akin to leaving a cult and is therefore difficult to initiate by anyone other than the individual within the community. However, with this context, maybe more people will be supportive of people looking to leave the Flat Earth movement.

[Kaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

This was an interesting history and study of flat earth conspiracy theories. The last couple of chapters and sections that focus on the intersections between fringe groups. While a lot of focus was one the flat earth movement, I did expect that we would look more into conspiracy culture as the title promises. What we get more of is some insightful first-hand observations, but not as much depth as I was hoping for. Still, this is an undeniably interesting read.

[Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not what I expected. Assertions and stories without proof. Arguments light on facts , but heavy on logical fallacies No arguments using the scientific method, common sense or critical thinking.

This book is a waste of time unless "people will believe anything."

[Biggus · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only thing more delusional than believing in a flat earth conspiracy, is the author’s belief in a fair and unbiased mainstream media. The book is interesting when she stays on topic, less so when she starts on her polemic.

[Jordan Winsby · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author indeed talked a lot about flat earthers and the conspiracy culture. But on why people will believe anything? Not so much. It was more along the lines of, "So and so believes the earth is flat and outer space doesn't exist. Aren't they ridiculous?" "This person believes the world government blocked the firmament with a sky-like dome so we can't see God. Isn't that just so absurd?"

Most of the time she's right. But this does not do much to explain why or how conspiracists have come to believe such things. In this way both the title is misleading, and the book is unfruitful in how we can better dialogue with others. The conclusions she comes to are something most people have come to conclude for themselves void of any research or further thought. If a non-conspiracist is looking for a way to feel better about themselves, this book is for them. But is someone is seeking a book on how to better understand and lovingly interact with those who have been deceived, perhaps there's a better resource out there.

[Andrew Eder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredibly fascinating I loved it from start to finish!! The authors writing style was funny and interesting and kept me IN IT. I learned SO much about the history of conspiracies and specifically this conspiracy. I have watched a few documentaries and such, but this surpassed all of my expectations. The information is told like a story and gives so many first hand accounts of people’s beliefs. I couldn’t stop reading this I absolutely DEVOURED it.


I also feel like conspiracies and true crime lovers kind of go hand in hand. As a big true crime person, this book checked every box.

[Bob Colwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

With crackpot theories having become the new norm, I was fascinated by this book's concept: a deep dive into conspiracies by a non-conspiratoral journalist who is fascinated by conspiracy theories. While most of the book deals with flat earth conspiracies (history, key figures, ties to other conspiracies, etc), it also examines their ties to similar worldviews (QAnon, etc) and the roles that social media has played in their rise in modern-day society.

In addition to a treatise on conspiracies, Ms. Weill does a good job injecting humanity into her analysis; while she draws a hard line between rationality and conspiracies, she also uses extra doses of compassion and mercy when dealing with the theorists themselves..."(i)n order to bring believers back from the edge, maybe we need to approach debunking lies less like a debate and more like holding a friend's hand as they leave a terrible, dependent relationship".

I believe that is the most practical dose of sanity I've heard in these crazy times.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wellll. I had always kind of assumed most "flat earthers" were cranky people just trying to get a rise out of the rest of us. Guess I'm wrong. Terrifyingly wrong. I am . . . nearly speechless. The author hinted at reasons why people may go down these kinds of holes--but what makes some do it and some do not? Many people are stressed out right now. I also appreciated the ideas on helping someone "land softly" but hope there will be more research and other books about these ideas. Because

[Elmwoodblues · Rating 2 out of 5]

The "...and why people will believe anything" words on the cover had me thinking that the book would be more expansive than just flat-earther explanations; however, few other examples of delusional beliefs are offered. While there are similarities between groups beholden to outrageous ideas, that thread is sadly not teased out here.

[Oleksandr Zholud · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short non-fiction about a poster child or a straw man of conspiracy theories, namely that the Earth is flat. It also deals with other conspiracy theories and how they are affected by modern social media.

The book starts with the Flat Earthers and the start of this conspiracy theory, based on a literal reading of the Bible and the failed socialist utopia from the 1830s England. One Samuel Birley Rowbotham, seller of miracle cures in 1849 published Zetetic Astronomy: Earth Not a Globe and the jinn was out of the bottle:
He proposed a wildly inaccurate version of the world. On the basis of his experiments in the Bedford Canal, he claimed that the earth was completely flat, and located at the center of a small, dark universe. His map of the planet looked as though he’d sliced through a globe’s southern tip with a saw and tried to flatten it on a table. The North Pole lay at the center of the pancake Earth, he said. All other land masses radiated outward from the pole, like jagged spokes on a wheel. Antarctica, the greatest casualty of his rearranged map, spanned the outer rim of the world like a great ice ring containing the world’s oceans. The whole planet floated on the waters of some bigger, darker ocean: the “great deep,” as he termed it.
As for the sun, stars, and moon, all were minor lights in the near sky, within four thousand miles of the ground. These low pinpricks of light traced circles above the disc Earth, bringing daylight when the sun passed over a continent and nighttime when the moon and stars passed above. (The moon emitted its own light, Rowbotham said, contrary to accepted science, which tells us that moonlight is just a reflection of the sun’s glow.) Many of these claims were, of course, grounded in questionable readings of the Bible. “The sun, moon, and stars, are described as lights only to give light upon the earth,”

It is interesting to note that Flat Earthers aren’t united in their views, e.g. for some Antarctica is ice that stretches to infinity, for others there is an edge. There were even multiple hoaxes based on a presumption that Antarctica is highly militarized and that unauthorized explorers will eventually hit a kind of polar Area 51, defended by armies of the New World Order because behind it lies a kind of paradise, where e.g. cancer is cured.

Not all participants are stupid or there to play a joke. The author tells about Mike Hughes, an amateur rocket engineer, who created rockets in his backyard to rise in them high enough to prove or disprove the Flat Earth theory until he killed himself on one of his launches.

The author describes other popular conspiracy theories, from the Zionist secret cabal to reptilians and QANON, and the real tragedies these conspiracies already caused. She also stresses that social media like Facebook and YouTube keep users glued to their site in suggestions giving more and more radical views (now it is a bit changed) exactly because they keep users interested and pressing more.

A nice overview.

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

If someone had told me about people believing that the earth is flat 10 years ago, I would have laughed. After all the crazy ideas about Covid and vaccines it seems people will believe anything even though it goes against what they believed earlier.

Even before people spent a lot of time on Facebook etc what they believed had a lot to do with what news they watch. I moved from Sweden to the US 22 years ago. We had two different news programs in Sweden but they basically had the same news. The only difference was what time they were on!

When I first moved to the US I didn't know that the news programs were very different! If someone starts thinking Covid might not be real, they are going to watch a news program that downplays how serious it is. Their believes are going to be confirmed.

I remember when a friend of mine was mad about "all the Mexicans coming here." I said that many people who come to the Mexican border are from other countries in South America. "You mean Canada?"

"No, Colombia and Venezuela..."

She started believing in the conspiracies about Obama and Covid. I know nothing I said could make her change her mind. But if was difficult! She was treated for cancer but didn't take Covid seriously.

During this time I was talking with my mom in Sweden. She had Alzheimer's disease. She was also saying crazy things at times but most of the time she had forgotten what we had talked about the next day. I still remember when my mom asked if I was still driving a car. I told her I was.

"Great, I hoped you would say yes. Why don't you come here next week!?"

"I'm sorry but I can't drive from the US to Sweden. There is an ocean in between."

"Are you sure?"

Both my mom and my friend are now dead.

There were so many things in this book that I wanted to remember. I don't think I've ever made this many notes while reading a book!

"People turn to conspiracy theories in moments of instability. “Conspiracy theories are a natural reaction to social situations that elicit fear and uncertainty,” psychologist Jan-Willem van Prooijen writes. “Specifically, the more strongly people experience such aversive emotions, the more likely it is that they assign blame for distressing events to different groups.”

"Seventy-one percent of nearly ten thousand Americans surveyed in a June 2020 poll had heard a conspiracy that claimed COVID-19 was planned in advance by powerful elites. A quarter of respondents said they thought the theory was definitely or probably true."

"Ninety-seven QAnon supporters ran for Congress in 2020."

"In Wisconsin, a pharmacist accused of deliberately damaging COVID-19 vaccines (which he believed were harmful) was revealed to be a Flat Earther, who believed the sky is a “shield put up by the Government to prevent individuals from seeing God,” according to an FBI agent’s testimony."

I would have given this book 5* but the book is basically about people who believe the earth is flat. The title made me think it was more varied.

[Ericka Clou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though people have known the Earth was round since about 500 BC, based on astronomy and math, and we saw an actual picture of the Earth in the 1950s, followed by many videos from satellites of a round/ovalish turning planet, there are horrifyingly large numbers of people and possibly increasing numbers of people who think the Earth is flat.

This conspiracy theory pops up periodically in history and around the world frequently among people who are disappointed with the trajectory of their lives. In recent history, Facebook and Youtube algorithms were driving people to videos that were converting them to FE, mostly because the algorithms are created to increase advertising profits not to save humanity from itself. Alex Jones was a proponent (of course he was). It seems like they think the poles are the end of the North-South limit which is sort of convenient given that it’s difficult to go to, but I don’t understand what they think are the West-East boundaries.

Conspiracy theorists typically participate in multiple conspiracy theories, so flat earthers are tied to QAnon, Truthers (believers that Trump won the election), Pizzagate-believers (that Hilary Clinton abused children in the basement of a pizza store and "ripped the face off a child and wore it"???!), the RFK Jr/Joe Rogan anti-vaxxers, people who think that they can declare themselves sovereign citizens and therefore not follow national laws, anti-semitists, and Bible-literalists who are sometimes dubious but feel compelled into it because the Bible says the earth is flat and they feel they "can't pick and choose" what to believe.

These overlapping webs of conspiracy theories mean that increasing numbers of our friends and families believe some portion of this many-headed monster.

[Chris (horizon_brave) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this hoping for a psychological expose on why humans think the way they do, why we crave the need for conspiracies, maybe some trends in how the thinking follows... I guess we sort of get that here...it’s more of a journalist’s own journaling of her times at conventions, gatherings and some contacts she knew. Which is not to take away from it, but it left me sort of disappointed with the shallowness of the critique. Often it feels like she’s giving them far far too much of an easy out. I was looking (with my own bias i recognize) for someone to finally take this movement to task and really hold it up to the fire in what it does and put it to reason. But I suppose that’s not her job. She does explain some of the ‘how’...basically just telling us about youtube rabbit holes multiple times. The Facebook groups and the like are touched upon as well, but it’s nothing...new. We get a good look at Flat Earther culture, their weirdo habits and their ignorance, and almost desire to close themselves off into a bubble. So I will 100% give her credit on this. And for that matter she clearly put herself deep in the weeds to get close with some of them. Going to conventions and actually talking to these idiots is something I’d never subject myself to... So clearly investigative journalism is not my forte and I give them all the credit. But speaking of journalism I was hoping there’d be a lot more speak about media opinion, and mass shaping of opinion over all not just all Flat Earther. There are some fringe mentions, Trump is brought up a lot and the Anti-Vax movement plays heavily, but it just all seems very surface level. The book doesn’t offer a case study or anything psychological but more so just a ‘man on the street’ level look.

It’s good, it’s fine, it has it’s moments of interest and some repetitive notes that create a ‘yea yea we get it’ from me. Overall I liked it, but it wasn’t challenging as I was hoping. No one in this book felt like they were in the wrong or made to really reflect on their poor choices. Maybe that’s on me, maybe the book *should* be written more in a clinical journalistic manner with no bias. But the sympathy angle is played up for them and it feels like there’s an attempt to....not justify but allow them to ‘Do you”.

[Brayden Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was certainly interesting to learn about conspiracy theorists themselves but what I think the author is going for - to create some level of appreciation and reduce the scorn of these people (not downplaying the conspiracies but understand how they could be led to them) hasn't really worked on me entirely. I guess mostly I feel pity for those that are stupid enough and could be duped by Flat Earth , or "The great reset" or the latest ones like "15 minute cities"

The historical notes throughout are certainly worth the read though and the insights and additional information regarding some of the most famous flat earthers - like that rocket dude who won himself a Darwin Award.

[Hannah T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book - a compelling and comprehensive history of the flat earth conspiracy theory, from genesis to current day. The author is clearly deeply immersed in the subculture, and has empathy for the people held in its thrall while still being clear about its intensely damaging effects. I found the chapters on the city of Zion, anti-Semitism and fascism, and Mike Hughes particularly interesting and compelling.

I think the book had less original thinking to contribute on conspiracy theories in general and our societal tendency toward them - it was nothing I haven’t heard or read before. Overall, though, a really interesting book - I learned a lot!

[jess]

This book is a well crafted journalistic perspective on conspiracy theories. It addressed some of the things I've wondered about, like the connection between transphobia and RW conspiracy theories, the connection between antisemitism and RW conspiracy theories, connections between antisemitism and anti Asian sentiments, and also what "cures" have been successful.

[Jesse Hof · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Somewhere, statistically speaking, quite nearby me, a Flat Earther has noted the nighttime and chalked it up to the sun moving across the face of a flat plane. Tomorrow morning, the sun will rise according to our various models, and the day will come again. Either way, at least for now, we'll have to share it."

[Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent breakdown of the history and current status of the flat earth movement + the role of internet/social media in intensifying radicalization patterns.