Unit3WHYDOWEBELIEVETHATTHEEARTHISROUND?

GeorgeOrwell

Canyouprovethattheearthisround?Goaheadandtry!Willyourelyonyoursenses

orwillyouhavetodrawontheopinionsofexperts?

Somewhereorother—IthinkitisintheprefacetosaintJoan—BernardShaw

remarksthatwearemoregullibleandsuperstitioustodaythanwewereintheMiddle

Ages,andasanexampleofmoderncredulityhecitesthewidespreadbeliefthattheeart

isround.Theaverageman,saysShaw,canadvancenotasinglereasonforthinkingthat

theearthisround.Hemerelyswallowsthistheorybecausethereissomethingaboutit

thatappealstothetwentieth-centurymentality.

Now,Shawisexaggerating,butthereissomethinginwhathesays,andthequestion

isworthfollowingup,forthesakeofthelightitthrowsonmodernknowledge.Justwhy

dowebelievethattheearthisround?Iamnotspeakingofthefewthousandastronomers,

geographersandsoforthwhocouldgiveocularproof,orhaveatheoreticalknowledgeof

theproof,butoftheordinarynewspaper-readingcitizen,suchasyouorme.

AsfortheFlatEarththeory,IbelieveIcouldrefuteit.Ifyoustandbytheseashoreon

aclearday,youcanseethemastsandfunnelsofinvisibleshipspassingalongthehorizon.

Thisphenomenoncanonlybeexplainedbyassumingthattheearthssurfaceiscurved.

Butitdoesnotfollowthattheearthisspherical.ImagineanothertheorycalledtheOval

Earththeory,whichclaimsthattheearthisshapedlikeanegg.WhatcanIsayagainstit?

AgainsttheOvalEarthman,thefirstcardIcanplayistheanalogyofthesunand

moon.TheOvalEarthmanpromptlyanswersthatIdontknow,bymyownobservation,

thatthosebodiesarespherical.Ionlyknowthattheyareround,andtheymayperfectly

wellbeflatdiscs.Ihavenoanswertothatone.Besides,hegoeson,