Special Pleading

Special pleading is applying standards, principles, or rules to other people or circumstances, while making themselves or certain circumstances exempt from the same critical criteria, without providing adequate justification.

Flat-Earthers like to impose various unwarranted rules and conditions —that were invented spontaneously— to rule out evidence against flat Earth. However, when it comes to the things they regard as ‘evidence’ in favor or a flat Earth, they are more than happy to ignore the rules and conditions that they previously invented.

Examples:

  • Rejecting evidence of curvature because stars are not visible. But on other occasions, they have no problem with missing stars, as long as the horizon looks flat.
  • Claiming that we do not have the expertise in the flat Earth theory to prevent our viewpoint to be used against flat Earth. But yet they are more than happy to be against spherical Earth even when they are unable to understand the science that supports spherical Earth.
  • If a distant object is wholly visible, they would happily proclaim it as ‘evidence’ of flat Earth. However, if only the upper half of the distant object is visible, or if it is completely unseen, then somehow it can never be regarded as evidence against flat Earth. They would instead invent various “explanations” why it can happen on a flat Earth.

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