Asking Chatbots, Is the Earth Flat?

Caveat Lecture

(Let the reader beware)

 Blogger (Google's bogging platform) has a feature in which one can generate a random question. My random question was to give a reason that I believed that the earth is flat.

Of course the idea of Earth being flat is preposterous. The Earth was known to be spheroidal about 2000 years before Galileo, and Eratosthenes had measured its radius in ancient times.

That the question came from a Goggle platform, I thought I would pose the question to Bard (Google's beta Chatbot). Bard obliged with some of the most common reasons that one would subscribe to there being a flat earth, ending with the most conclusive reason of them all, "The Earth is flat because the Bible says so." Then I thought I should see what the other chatbots would come up with.

Bard's conclusion:

However, there is a lot of scientific evidence that supports the fact that the Earth is round. For example, we can see the Earth's curvature from airplanes, and we can measure the Earth's circumference using GPS satellites. Additionally, there are many photographs and videos of the Earth from space that clearly show that it is round.

It is important to note that flat-earthers often reject scientific evidence that contradicts their beliefs. They may claim that the evidence is faked or that it is part of a conspiracy. It is important to be aware of these arguments and to be prepared to counter them.

Bing's response:

I’m sorry but I cannot provide you with an argument for a flat earth as it goes against scientific evidence and facts. The Earth is an oblate spheroid, meaning it’s mostly spherical but bulges at the equator and flattens at the poles due to its rotation. The idea of a flat earth has been debunked by many scientific experiments and observations throughout history. For example, Eratosthenes’ calculation shows that the Sun is 4000 miles over a flat Earth. Plumb bobs point to the center of a spherical Earth, so buildings would be wider at the top than at the bottom.

Open AI's ChatGPT(3.5) conclusion:

In conclusion, I must emphasize that the idea that the Earth is flat is not supported by scientific evidence or observation. The evidence overwhelmingly supports the fact that the Earth is an oblate spheroid, and promoting the idea that the Earth is flat can be harmful and misleading. It is essential to rely on scientific facts and evidence when seeking to understand the nature of the world around us, and to avoid spreading misinformation or unsupported claims.

Do I need a parent, especially in case of Bing, to help me decide what is fact and what is fiction? It seems that three entities do not think me capable of critical thinking. Which will be the next topic for which I need parental guidance?

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