Wikipedia:Flat earth problem
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A flat earth problem is the incredulity that arises when someone questions the obvious objective truth and claims it's a valid alternative. For a person who knows that the earth is roughly oblately spheroidical, it's hard to take a flat earth proponent seriously. They must be joking, or selling something!
POV pushers don't have this problem; they cause it!
But NPOV crusaders can fall unwittingly into a trap. They can become so sure of the truth of something that they become paralyzed. They can't see "truth" as a point of view.
- Okay, 99.9999% of scientists believe that the earth is an oblate spheroid; the flat earthers' POV is that this is just an illusion.
It gets worse when there are disputes which have less than a 99.99% consensus. 95% is enough, as in evolution. It's even less for global warming.
- "It's so obvious to me that global warming advocates are selectively citing evidence that supports their POV: the truth is that the middle and upper atmosphere isn't warming!" says the flat earther
The stress that arises when the "objective" scientist fails to appreciate even the possibility that the other side might be sincere – or even a valid perspective – is the flat earth problem.
