The author Kelly Weill sets out to answer that question and others in a new book. She says that when humans are confronted with a complex and often inscrutable world, it’s natural that many seek simple answers — such as the earth is flat, surrounded by an ice wall and safely capped off by a roof upon which outer space is depicted. Today, the flat earth conspiracy is growing, fueled by social media and tangled with other conspiracies. And while it might be easy to dismiss flat earthers as trolls, at least one man recently lost his life trying to prove its validity. Kelly Weill joins us to talk about the flat earth conspiracy, where it came from and why it’s growing.
Kelly Weill’s book is Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything. [Amazon|Bookshop|Indiebound]
Airdate: Friday, Aug 12, 2022 at 12 p.m. and Sat, Aug 13, 2022 at 11 a.m.
Original airdate: April 22 and April 23, 2022.