Introduction
During recent exchanges I have been accused of believing in some grand conspiracy involving everything from the Illuminati, to Free Masonry, tracing all the way back to Plato distorting the works of many archaics (including Aristotle). I do not hold to this belief but I certainly understand why I might be accused of this.
The risk I take with this effort is the accusation of dealing in generalizations, which is actually not a risk since I do gladly admit to it.
Thesis & Purpose
I posit that Flat Earth Theorists can be grouped into two main camps regarding the "conspiracy" that must exist, in some form, in flat earth theory. I think that this generalization will assist those who currently believe in a hello-centric model (but whom I pray will see the truth of the flat earth theory) in their understanding of how flat earth theorist may think . Perhaps, also, it will also have the affect of causing my fellow theorists to consider their view of the "conspiracy".
Caveat
I will again note that this is a generalization and will NOT necessarily reflect the thinking of an individual flat earth theorist. Secondly the observations are based on my own extensive readings (via books) over the years and my most recent (and informative) forays onto the web through the Google application.
An analogy
As a member of a dissenting Church I will take a risk and use an analogy involving the Church of England (COE). Most are aware there are at least (yes there are other) two major divisions within the COE- "High Church" and "Low Church".
For those not aware "Low church" denotes the church's simplicity in the manner of services, and "high church" denotes an emphasis on more complex rituals and eschatology.
Hypothesis
I submit there are main two camps of conspiracists in the Flat Earth Theorists groups. Although there there are many distinct variations in conspiracy there are in essence two groups of Flat Earth Theorists- "Low" and "High" Conspiracists". I submit that the thinking of flat earth theorists via the conspiracy affects their views of the flat earth. I also submit that hello-centrist make (sometimes unwarranted) assumptions about the type and depth of conspiracy thinking amongst their opponents during idea exchanges.
Low Conspiracists
The "low conspiracists" (like yours truly) do not hold to an over - arching multi century conspiracy with a central guiding force. One may, instead think of it as a "Conspiracy of Dunces". In this model the errors and political conniving over the years have multiplied to create the hello-centric view. Much like the "old fashioned QWERTY keyboard" hello-centric thinking is so ingrained in science, and there has been so much "sunk costs" of intellectual activity that it is an immovable force. The pre-supposition of the helio-centric model (by which I mean that every experiment and phenomena is explained through the lenses of the world must be a spinning ball) reinforces this "Fact" and the belief in such continues to reinforce this belief in a continuous feedback loop. Additionally plain human nature of jealousy of idea and position also contribute to this loop.
For example Newton's ideas were suppressed (well on 75% of them) and his ideas on aether and force twisted not through some gigantic central plot, but through jealousy of position, and pride. In regard to Newton's "true ideas" one must look to the actions Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz ,George Berkeley, and Ernest Mach to name a few. Newton's original work did not agree with their models exactly so they worked (for their own reasons, none more nefarious other than being self serving) to change and distort his ideas and to, ultimately suppress his works.
NASA, ESA, Roscosmos and other agencies are not engaged in a "take over the world and suppress the people" conspiracy. Rather their approach, and mode, is much like MI6 (and in the US like the NSA) in that their secrecy is part of an effort to protect the citizenry from dangerous events and acts. As society and technology have developed these agencies have developed to protect us from ourselves. What is the danger? One easy to articulate is that of falling off the edge. But a more frightening issue may be at stake. Flat Earth Theorists realize how subtle and elegant are the mechanism of the terrestrial plane and the celestial sphere. Tinkering with this mechanism (which may have already occurred) could result in a disaster to this marvelous mechanism and the death of all life as we know it. It may well be that global warming is due to some interference by man in the celestial sphere for example.
High Conspiracists
Where as High Conspiracists believe (and again I generalize realizing that there are many variations of this group exist) that there is an over-arching conspiracy to protect the power of the ultimate ruling class. This conspiracy can involve "shadow groups that stretch back to the Greek Archaics, the move of the Papal Capitol to Avignon, and also tie in with grand banking conspiracies that pull the strings on other puppets including representative governments, the United Nations, the Banking Systems and the use of the educational and science institutions to "brain wash" the masses into acceptance of this false reality, one aspect of which is the reinforcement of the hello-centric theory. The hello-centric theory is important because it displaces God with an arbitrary and man made system of ethics. This key feature allows the "ruling elite" to reinforce the belief that "what ever man desires to do is right" and thus when the strings are pulled by the elite ,say using representative government ( which is owned lock, stock and barrel by the elite), the elite can say "But you the electorate decided this and what man decides is right since we are not governed by some mythical God that exists in a flat earth reality"
Summary
The low model involves a "conspiracy of dunces" and a series of minor and small conspiracies that have hidden the truth due to massive intellectual and ego investment in the hello-centric model. In addition, as society has expanded, and technology has matured, governments, in order to protect their populace, have developed mechanisms to protect them from wandering off the edge of the earth, or more frighteningly, from interfering with what is a very complex and subtle flat earth mechanism (perhaps ending the system and killing all life).
Whereas we see in the high model that:
*There is a conspiracy by the "Same" ruling elite (and the progeny) over centuries
*The aim is similar to that created by Orwell in "1984"
*The conspiracy reaches into many institutions, and in fact, these institutions (banking, educational, research etc) are crucial to the propagation of the power of the ruling elite
* As society has grown more complex the required mechanisms of the conspiracy have grown with it
* The Flat Earth Theory and repression of such for a Helio-Centric conspiracy is but one aspect of this "Grand Conspiracy" but none the less important to its ends, since it makes way for an atheistic culture that says "what man decides is correct"and this allows the ruling elite, through the manipulation (or down right owning) of the democratic process, to make decisions without regard to an external, eternal ethos that could check their power.
*This does NOT mean that everyone (or even a small minority) of hello-centrists are part of the conspiracy- in fact the beauty of the conspiracy is that it is invisible to virtually all but a few. One can think of hello-centrists as 'useful idiots" to coin a phrase used by Vladimir Lenin.
As I wrote I am a "low conspiracist".
It is my hope that this will help both helio- centrists and flat earth theorists.
Respectfully submitted to this forum on this 24th Day of March in the Year of Our Lord 2016