Flat Earthers actually have conferences, and discussion groups online.
We have a problem with Science education.
That said, the 40 year campaign by the fossil fuel industry to destroy citizen’s confidence in science and expertise has had a corrosive effect on our civic discourse.
Tobacco and Creationists* each have their own motives and methods for doubt-mongering. As someone who spent much of the noughties participating in the skeptics’ forums and conferences led by experts in the mechanisms of self-delusion, it’s painful to see people declaring their carefully curated disbelief as “skepticism”.
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*Religion and other supernatural beliefs rely on embrace of anti-scientific approaches to maintain certainty.
If you agree that we life in a free society, then you must agree that people can belief in anything they want to belief; In God, the bible, green little monsters from Mars or a flat Earth. It is called freedom of belief. And people have the rigt to express their opinion no matter how sensible or nonsensible they wish. It is called freedom of expression. Nothinbg to worry about. Most people can cope with their belief systems. There is nothing scientific about religion or about politics or most common theories over markets are supose to work.
“It is called freedom of expression. Nothinbg to worry about.” Yes and no. As long as, lets say flat earthers, remain in the fringe, then I agree. Like those that used to yell their beliefs in the downtown parks to anyone and no one. But lets say more and more of them get elected to congress and the president is a flat earther. Now policies are going to be directed with a flat earth stance and anything that depends on the existence of a round earth are not funded, well because it is all fake and why put funding towards something fake. Now that is an extreme but it is something to worry about.
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