Should Flat-Earthers be debated or ignored?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Remaining silent in the presence of absurdity is not a virtue.

Maybe, but what (logical) evidence are you gonna present to someone logically-averse? It's all feels and oohs and aahs.

I point out where they're wrong. They won't listen but some of the fence-sitters will.

[Mr Greene]

The position isn't adopted or held via logic so logical argument won't have any effect. The position is essentially emotional so the logical response is to use an emotional argument, eg; ridicule.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

We use science to counter creationism, same thing with the flatters. We don't gain the high ground by just mocking them, no matter how much fun that is.

You don't have to do that, of course, but going down to their level isn't a positive.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

We use science to counter creationism, same thing with the flatters. We don't gain the high ground by just mocking them, no matter how much fun that is.

You don't have to do that, of course, but going down to their level isn't a positive.

Agreed.  As with any other nonsense (astrology, cryptids, pyramidology, numerology, etc.), it isn't enough to tell Flatties that they're wrong, we need to explain why they're wrong.

Boru

[Mr Greene]

Oh we do that first of course, but it doesn't actually progress the position. The ability to do both is a definite bonus.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Oh we do that first of course, but it doesn't actually progress the position. The ability to do both is a definite bonus.

We can't be "just as bad as" and win many minds.

[Fake Messiah]

This guy tried to debate a flat earther because she is his mom

[The Grand Nudger]

Unfortunately, the entire business of knocking down ancillary claims like these is reading the afflicted wrong. They're offering up these things in place of a deeply held personal experience that informs them of the need to seek such items out to begin with.

It doesn't go "flat earth, therefore god" -BUT.."god, therefore flat earth".

Not, astrology, therefore magic..but magic...therefore astrology.

Explaining why they're wrong has little (if anything) to do with the facts of earth or stars (or pyramids, or cryptids, or numerology). FWIW, they may not actually -be- wrong, with respect to what legitimately informs these positions. These positions being rubble surrounding and protecting that actual item of relevant content. The afflicted will pick up and drop any of those items with breezy convenience (often cycling through the same items multiple times throughout their lives), because they're not informative and they don't matter..not even to the people who argue them.

It's theater for an audience of one.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I don't do polychromatic presentations for blind people.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Unfortunately, the entire business of knocking down ancillary claims like these is reading the afflicted wrong.  They're offering up these things in place of a deeply held personal experience that informs them of the need to seek such items out to begin with.  

It doesn't go "flat earth, therefore god" -BUT.."god, therefore flat earth".  

Not, astrology, therefore magic..but magic...therefore astrology.  

Explaining why they're wrong has little (if anything) to do with the facts of earth or stars (or pyramids, or cryptids, or numerology).  FWIW, they may not actually -be- wrong, with respect to what legitimately informs these positions.  These positions being rubble surrounding and protecting that actual item of relevant content.  The afflicted will pick up and drop any of those items with breezy convenience (often cycling through the same items multiple times throughout their lives), because they're not informative and they don't matter..not even to the people who argue them.  

It's theater for an audience of one.

That's not a bad assessment.  The redoubtable Egyptologist Flinders Petrie referred to flat Earthers (and other like them) as '...people to whom a theory is dearer than a fact.'

Hard to shift people with that mindset.

Boru