One of the most frequently repeated myths is the belief that the people of the middle ages believed that the world was flat. In fact this myth is so prevalent that it is often repeated in textbooks in schools throughout the nation. The truth is that the Greek discovery that the world was round was firmly held as fact. The modern origins of the myth like in Washington Irving's "History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus (1828)" where the statement was made that Columbus was fearful of being accused of heterodoxy which would raise the ire of the church where flat-earth theory persisted, when the more learned people knew the earth was globular. This error was largely ignored until Darwin published "The Origin of the Species (1859)". The book was never placed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum ("List of Prohibited Books"), however many bishops and other religious figureheads condemned it.
Books such as John Drapers "The History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science (1874)" sought to reinforce the belief that the Christian Church was led by ignorance, reiterating Irving's error that the people of the dark ages saw the earth as flat. By attributing this belief to the church it appeared that ignorance was the only reason to fail to accept evolution. Throughout the next hundred years the misstatement about the flat earth was repeated over and over again. Today the truth has been spreading, but the myth persists.
-Professor Walter
Comments