Zetetic means proceeding by inquiry.
Sorry about the length, but
Rowbotham is a bit hard to condense!
So what inquiry led
Samuel Birley Rowbotham to assert that the sun, moon and stars circled above the earth? All I can find is:
CHAPTER VI.
THE SUN'S MOTION, CONCENTRIC WITH THE POLAR CENTRE.
As the earth has been proved to be fixed, the motion of the sun is a visible reality. If it be observed from any latitude a few degrees north of the line called the "Tropic of Cancer," and for any period before or after the time of southing, or passing the meridian, it will be seen to describe an arc of a circle. The following simple experiment will be interesting as demonstrating the fact that the sun's path is concentric with the centre of the earth's surface. Let the observer take his stand, half-an-hour before sunrise (in the month of June, or any of the summer months will be better than winter, as the results will be more striking), on the head of either the old or the new pier at Brighton, in Sussex. Let him draw a line due north and south; and a second line due east and west, across the first. Now stand with his back to the north. Being thus at his post and ready for observation, let him watch carefully for the sun's first appearance above the horizon; and he will find that the point where the sun is first observed is considerably to the north of east, or the line drawn at right angles to north and south. If he will continue to watch the sun's progress until noon, it will be seen to ascend in a curve southwards until it reaches the meridian; and thence to descend in a westerly curve until it arrives at the horizon, and to set considerably to the north of due west, as shown in the following diagram, fig. 59. An object which moves in an arc of a circle, and
FIG. 59.
From: ENaG, CHAPTER VI. THE SUN'S MOTION, CONCENTRIC WITH THE POLAR CENTRE.
That observation, done from one location at one time of the year is supposedly sufficient "inquiry" to convince
Samuel Birley Rowbotham and apparently all future flat earthers that the sun circles a fixed hieght above the earth about "the northern hub".
But, what about the Southern Hemisphere?
Samuel Birley Rowbotham might have been ignorant of it, but modern flat earthers have no such excuse.
I live in the Southern Hemisphere a few degrees south of the line called the "Tropic of Capricorn,", so I could make a similar "inquiry".
In fact I have, and it is now just two days after our Summer Solstice, so I have just as much right to say,
"let him watch carefully for the sun's first appearance above the horizon; and he will find that the point where the sun is first observed is considerably
to the south of east, or the line drawn at right angles to north and south. If he will continue to watch the sun's progress until noon, it will be seen to ascend in a curve
northwards until it reaches the meridian; and thence to descend in a westerly curve until it arrives at the horizon, and to set considerably
to the south of due west, as shown in the above diagram, fig. 59."
So, does the sun circle about a "northern hub" or about a "southern hub"?
Tom Bishop claims it circles about
both!
In other words,
Samuel Birley Rowbotham simply did not proceed with
suffient inquiry to get the full answer.
Yet, modern flat earthers still accept
Rowbotham's clearly incorrect results.
Then he claims "that all the visible luminaries in the firmament are contained within a vertical distance of 1000 statute miles".
CHAPTER V.
THE TRUE DISTANCE OF THE SUN
The above method of measuring distances applies equally to the moon and stars; and it is easy to demonstrate, to place it beyond the possibility of error, so long as assumed premises are excluded, that the moon is nearer to the earth than the sun, and that all the visible luminaries in the firmament are contained within a vertical distance of 1000 statute miles. From which it unavoidably follows that the magnitude of the sun, moon, stars, and comets is comparatively small--much smaller than the earth from which they are measured, and to which, therefore, they must of necessity be secondary. and subservient. They cannot, indeed, be anything more than "centres of action," throwing down light, and chemical products upon the earth.
From: ENaG, CHAPTER V.THE TRUE DISTANCE OF THE SUN.
Then what
inquiry lead more recent flat earthers to assert that
Rowbotham was quite wrong and that the sun was about 3000 miles above the earth.
Something seems severely amiss with the flat-earthers application of 'Zeteticism'.