Ok so, I gotta ask a few questions
Why? Number one
The earth looks flat. The horizon is flat. The bottoms of the clouds are flat. A better question would be why do others believe with such ferocity that it is not? The answer is, of course, because they have been told. Perhaps read some Descartes, and consider what you know, rather than what you have been taught, and see what conclusion you come to. Let's start there, and get to your other questions later.
To be fair there's also sunrise/set, rotation of the stars, moonrise/set, sun/moon consistent size throughout the day, the existence of a sharp horizon line, and not seeing different faces of the moon at set and rise. It's not just "Because they have been told" that keeps most of us believing the Earth is a sphere.
Ok so, I gotta ask a few questions
1. Why? Number one
2. Also, do you believe in gravity? If so, what do you think the earth formed out of? And why do you think it took that shape?
3. What about the moon and the sun? Do you believe they're orbiting us? Cause the way they take perfect orbits around us no matter where you are in the world wouldn't be quite the same if earth wasn't round
4. Also, what shape do you think the Earth is? like, a 3D Rectangle?
5. Also, do you believe it's possible to fall off the earth? Cause if you do believe in gravity, i assume not... That'd be weird tho... just being able to walk onto the wall or the bottom of a 3D rectangle...
6. Also, do you also not believe in the planets core? If you do, where is it?
7. I know you guys know other planets like Mars are spheres, so then why aren't they flat?
Ok I've asked enough lol
1. Suffragette pretty much summed FE position upon on this one. "It looks flat" combined with a healthy dose of any of a number of things. But that's the most oft given response.
2. Some theories do, some don't. The origin of the shape of the Earth is not discussed much, which isn't surprising when there's still discussion about how exactly it looks.
3. Yes, they are both believe to follow 'tracks' in the sky in some manner. The exact mechanism of their motion is unknown, and discrepancies in how you are expecting things should look are generally swept aside with 'perspective'. I think there's a few other ideas floating around, but this is the most common.
4. Variable. Some think of it like a coin, some think of it like a rectangular prism (this tends to be the ones coming to FE via religion because of the 'four corners of the Earth' bit), and some believe it's a flat plane of finite depth that stretches infinitely in the other two directions.
5. Depends 100% on the model whether this is even possible, and those where it is still don't agree on if walking off the edge is a possibility.
6. When flat there isn't much space for a core. Although the magma and stuff of course still exists, the model once again determining what it is and how it's there. UA imo has the best explanation for this, in that the mysterious force pushing us heats up the lower parts of the Earth to being molten.
7. Because Earth isn't a planet, and is thus exempt from rules governing other planets. "It's the center of known intelligent observation in the universe, why wouldn't it be special" is a general form of reply. It's on the verge of special pleading imo, but the original argument/statement isn't particularly strong to begin with either so.