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Article: Q&A with Christine Garwood The true origins of flat-earth theory
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- September 28, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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WHEN WE THINK of the idea of a flat earth, we think of ancient
beliefs, medieval church doctrine, and a benighted assumption
finally overturned by science. We don't think of it as an
intellectual trend hatched in the 19th century. But maybe we should.
Most people in the Western world understood that the earth was
round from late antiquity onward, says Christine Garwood, author of
"Flat Earth: The History of an Infamous Idea." While flat-earth
belief may have lingered in some corners into the Middle Ages, the
idea of a flat earth as a serious alternative to mainstream
astronomy arose much more recently.
It wasn't until the mid-1800s when a self-described doctor and
radical socialist named ...