Flat Earther, and other conspiracy theories. Are they mostly atheists?

[Jehanne]

52 percent of flat earth believers consider themselves to be very religious https://nowthisnews.com/videos/future/ho...-connected
Some of them believe it because of religious texts. Some of them think they've seen the truth with their own eyes (for example seeing a city across from a lake when you're not supposed to be able to see it), but what they're seeing is a mirage and they don't understand how light bends, etc. Some of them see that governments' job is to lie to the people, which is very true, and this causes these flat earthers and other conspiracy theorists to take it to the extreme and they end up believing the opposite of what the government/ NASA, etc say because these people have been lied to by government so much that they just reject everything from the government, which includes the true things coming from the government/ establishment.

I think that the core consists of those who are mentally ill and those who want to make money off those who are mentally ill.

[Irreligious Atheist]

52 percent of flat earth believers consider themselves to be very religious https://nowthisnews.com/videos/future/ho...-connected
Some of them believe it because of religious texts. Some of them think they've seen the truth with their own eyes (for example seeing a city across from a lake when you're not supposed to be able to see it), but what they're seeing is a mirage and they don't understand how light bends, etc. Some of them see that governments' job is to lie to the people, which is very true, and this causes these flat earthers and other conspiracy theorists to take it to the extreme and they end up believing the opposite of what the government/ NASA, etc say because these people have been lied to by government so much that they just reject everything from the government, which includes the true things coming from the government/ establishment.

I think that the core consists of those who are mentally ill and those who want to make money off those who are mentally ill.

To an extent, sure, but to be fair, people believe in a lot of really stupid stuff. 30 percent of Americans believe in astrology. The majority of Americans believe in free will. An overwhelming majority of Americans believe in God, a man in the sky. They're not all mentally ill.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

It is metaphor. It merely means you hold the position that a super natural entity does not exist or you see no evidence for one.

Seems more of a dimmer switch, then.

Boru

Perhaps if the switch only worked once, and only one way. Mine doesn't, does yours?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Seems more of a dimmer switch, then.

Boru

Perhaps if the switch only worked once, and only one way. Mine doesn't, does yours?

Not in the least - I AM on a dimmer switch. I’m able to believe all sorts of things for which I have no evidence.

Boru

[arewethereyet]

I think that the core consists of those who are mentally ill and those who want to make money off those who are mentally ill.

To an extent, sure, but to be fair, people believe in a lot of really stupid stuff. 30 percent of Americans believe in astrology. The majority of Americans believe in free will. An overwhelming majority of Americans believe in God, a man in the sky. They're not all mentally ill.

So you think free will is a myth?  Who is controlling you?

[Irreligious Atheist]

To an extent, sure, but to be fair, people believe in a lot of really stupid stuff. 30 percent of Americans believe in astrology. The majority of Americans believe in free will. An overwhelming majority of Americans believe in God, a man in the sky. They're not all mentally ill.

So you think free will is a myth?  Who is controlling you?

It's an illusion. There is no evidence showing that we have free will. Thoughts emerge from the brain. We don't consciously choose what we think or do. It all happens unconsciously. When we've "made a choice", we didn't have the free will to do otherwise.

There is no more evidence for free will than there is for a flat earth. This was my very point. A lot of people accept some really silly things as true because they just seem to make sense to them for whatever reason. Free will is real to you because it seems like you are experiencing it, and you can't see through the illusion. Or maybe you are just defining free will differently and you already know that what I'm referring to as free will obviously does not exist.

[arewethereyet]

Yeah, okay.

Enjoy your life of mind control by something or other.

Though I think your take on free will is BS, I think you meant "it happens subconsciously" not "it happens unconsciously". Either way I don't buy this latest hill you are willing to die on.

[Irreligious Atheist]

Yeah, okay.

Enjoy your life of mind control by something or other.

Though I think your take on free will is BS, I think you meant "it happens subconsciously" not "it happens unconsciously".  Either way I don't buy this latest hill you are willing to die on.

Yes. Thank you. Care to provide any evidence for this free will you speak of? Is there any reason I should take it any more seriously than ghosts? You believe in free will for the same reason humanity believed in a flat earth for most of human history. "The earth looks flat when I look out of my window, so I experience life on the flat earth". "It seems free to me when I'm making a decision because that's what it feels like I'm experiencing."

Enjoy your life on the flat earth, or the equivalent of it.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Boru

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The German artilleryman quote brings to mind Grace Hopper, who spent WWII working on compiling ballistics tables for USN ships. She had to calculate based on speed of ship, speed of target, distance to target, barometric pressure, ambient temperature, and several other factors. She used an early computer to do the calculation. They "programed" it by moving one wire at a time to a new terminal.