RE: Are Flat Earthers As Crazy As We're Led To Believe?
You're reading way too much into what I said. I was only demonstrating that you can keep going East and end up back where you started on a flat Earth map. I don't even think this is the one that most of them ascribe to.
Maps are wrong though, even now. There are different projections that show continents and countries intentionally at the wrong sizes. The main one that we have all come to accept is accurate actually makes Africa far smaller than it is, and Western countries a lot bigger. It is probably a way of making people in the more developed countries think less of the significance of the plight of those in third world countries.
Here is the projection we are typically shown. Note the size of Africa in relation the North America.
Now this is what they say, though not loudly, is a more accurate projection.
They're very different. So yes, I think we ought to be a bit skeptical of maps.
I am not "reading" anything into what you are saying. I'm actually talking about claims Flat Earthers make.
The map does matter in the ultimate as that is tied closely with how they explain the motions of the sun and the moon.
Currently they use the map I was talking about to explain that.
If you dig into it enough trying to explain observable phenomena then eventually the flat earth hypothesis has to become more and more complicated than the heliocentric one to explain some of the basic details we have on earth.
There can be the danger of going "I think we ought to be a bit skeptical of maps", which skepticism can be healthy and I agree with you. Yet we must still also use reason.
If the map in question does not work, then the model for the explanation for the motion of the sun/moon with respect to that map also does not work. You need an accurate map before you can also determine the accuracy of the moon/sun.
It quickly becomes very convoluted.
The reason for some of the distortion of the maps is political - along with - that's what happens when you squash a globe.
Maps are a representation to be used to help explain and / or navigate. They are not a 1 to 1 drawing or photograph of the world. So they will never be accurate.