The Flat Earth Society

Flat Earth Discussion Boards => Flat Earth Community => Topic started by: MillenialZetetic on March 28, 2021, 02:05:41 AM

Title: Relation to https://theflatearthsociety.org/home/?
Post by: MillenialZetetic on March 28, 2021, 02:05:41 AM
Hi, new here, but very interested in researching flat earth.

I do have one question, though: what is the relation between this flat earth society (tfes.org) and the one at theflatearthsociety.org? They have the same name, and very similar logos, but evidently don't believe in the same things from judging their FAQs. But the theflatearthsociety.org's wiki (https://theflatearthsociety.org/tiki/tiki-index.php) has some pages that are nearly identical to this one's wiki! This makes the research quite confusing - I understand that there are many different theories, but not knowing where they stand in relation to one another adds a bit of confusion for me.

So I was curious: what is the relation between tfes.org and theflatearthsociety.org? Is there overlap in membership? Are they the same, but somehow have different websites and forums?

Thanks!
Title: Re: Relation to https://theflatearthsociety.org/home/?
Post by: Pete Svarrior on March 28, 2021, 11:05:22 AM
Long story short:

theflatearthsociety.org is the original site, from which we split off many years ago (2015 if memory serves). Our theories have since diverged substantially, despite sharing a common ancestor, so to speak.

I can't speak for them, but I believe they were planning to delete their wiki as something they no longer stand by. We try to keep ours up to date, with mixed results.

There is some overlap in membership - many people post on both sites, often under different aliases; but I would argue that the two groups identify as firmly separate, with distinct ideas, beliefs, and approaches.

If you need more info, feel free to shout here, but please keep in mind that we can only offer one side of the story.
Title: Re: Relation to https://theflatearthsociety.org/home/?
Post by: Elyn95 on March 30, 2021, 06:35:50 PM
Interesting, so I recently joined both, not sure which one I should be on. How would you describe the views as diverging?
Title: Re: Relation to https://theflatearthsociety.org/home/?
Post by: Pete Svarrior on March 30, 2021, 08:25:08 PM
Interesting, so I recently joined both, not sure which one I should be on. How would you describe the views as diverging?
I'm afraid I can't answer these questions fairly. Two major points of contention that immediately come to mind are gravity (upward-accelerating Earth vs "objects simply fall, it is their natural property"), and whether or not there is an end to the Earth ("unknown" vs. "no, it goes on forever").
Title: Re: Relation to https://theflatearthsociety.org/home/?
Post by: stack on March 30, 2021, 08:25:16 PM
Interesting, so I recently joined both, not sure which one I should be on. How would you describe the views as diverging?

As far as divergence, I would say maybe there are few things:

- The wiki here is very much maintained and positioned as authoritative. I can't remember the last time the wiki was updated over there
- Moderation styles are different. You'll have to spend a little time on each to see how
- Membership: Some only post there, some only post there, some post on both

That's about all I can think of. I think both are pretty much equally active. Or equally inactive depending on how you look at it.

If you search here and over there, you can find discussions around why they split, some reconciliation efforts and such.

Edit: Just saw Pete's response. And yeah, I would agree with him on those two.
Title: Re: Relation to https://theflatearthsociety.org/home/?
Post by: Elyn95 on March 30, 2021, 08:28:07 PM
Interesting, so I recently joined both, not sure which one I should be on. How would you describe the views as diverging?
I'm afraid I can't answer these questions fairly. Two major points of contention that immediately come to mind are gravity (upward-accelerating Earth vs "objects simply fall, it is their natural property"), and whether or not there is an end to the Earth ("unknown" vs. "no, it goes on forever").

That's interesting, especially the last point you made there as that is something I've been wondering about. Which camp do the folks on here tend to fall into? The "unknown" or the "no, it goes on forever"?
Title: Re: Relation to https://theflatearthsociety.org/home/?
Post by: Elyn95 on March 30, 2021, 08:29:24 PM
And since we're here and on that topic anyway, do you know why my question about "beyond the icewall" got locked before it could get any replies?
Title: Re: Relation to https://theflatearthsociety.org/home/?
Post by: Pete Svarrior on March 30, 2021, 08:41:16 PM
And since we're here and on that topic anyway, do you know why my question about "beyond the icewall" got locked before it could get any replies?
I do. I linked you to the FAQ before locking it, and I answered your S&C question about it. Please stop repeatedly asking it everywhere. We try to keep things tidy here.