Hmm, that kinda makes more sense since someone who has, y'know, thought about this explains the conspiracy thing.
However, I still maintain that the 'conspiracy' thing is something made up in the first days of FE as a quick, unexpectedly demanded, response.
"So why do you think we think the earth is round?"
"Oh, fuck, I didn't think about this! Uh, because...oh! Government conspiracy, that's why!"
It would be far more plausible to say "We think the earth is round, because the most definitive evidence we have points to a spherical earth. I think the earth is flat because [supporting evidence here]"
Government Conspiracy?
Bollocks.