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Argument Against Ancient Claims of a Round Earth

1. Initial Assumptions: Ancient scholars such as Pythagoras, Aristotle, and Eratosthenes began with the philosophical assumption that the Earth was a sphere. This assumption was influenced by their desire for symmetry and perfection in nature, rather than empirical evidence.

2. Interpretation of Observations: Scholars interpreted various observations to fit their assumption of a spherical Earth. For instance:
- Lunar Eclipse Shadow: They argued that the round shadow on the moon during a lunar eclipse indicated a spherical Earth. However, this interpretation ignored phenomena like the selenelion, where the sun and moon can be seen in the sky simultaneously during an eclipse. The occurrence of a selenelion challenges the simplistic spherical Earth explanation and was disregarded by these scholars.
- Ships Disappearing Over the Horizon: They claimed that ships disappearing hull-first over the horizon suggested a curved surface. In the context of a flat Earth, this observation can be explained as an illusion caused by atmospheric conditions. When moisture is in the air, it creates refraction. Refraction causes light particles traveling from the object to the observer to separate. Light particles at the bottom of the object spread from the other particles and eventually collide with the Earth out of the observer's line of sight, creating the illusion that the ship is being obstructed from the bottom up.
- Star Positions and Constellations: The variation in star positions with latitude was taken as evidence for a spherical Earth. In a flat Earth model, the apparent movement of stars can be attributed to the structure of the firmament, without requiring a spherical Earth.
- Astrolabe Functionality: The astrolabe, an ancient instrument used for solving problems related to time and the position of the stars, only works accurately on a flat Earth. The device assumes a flat plane to measure angles and celestial positions effectively, contradicting the spherical Earth model.

3. Fallacies and Oversights: The interpretations of these observations were selective and often ignored contradictory evidence:
- Selenelion Phenomenon: The occurrence of selenelions, where both the sun and the eclipsed moon are visible at the same time, was overlooked. This phenomenon is difficult to explain with a simple spherical Earth model but can be explained by other means within a flat Earth context.
- Selective Evidence: Scholars focused on evidence that supported their spherical model while dismissing or ignoring observations that did not fit.
- Pythagoras' Theorem Fallacy: Pythagoras' theorem claims that \(a^2 + b^2 = c^2\). To solve for \(c\), one needs to know the values of \(a\) and \(b\). However, determining \(a\) and \(b\) would require knowing \(c\), creating a circular reasoning problem. This fallacy undermines the reliability of using geometric principles to justify the shape of the Earth when based on incomplete or assumed measurements.

4. Circular Reasoning in Interpretations:
- Scholars used their initial assumption of a spherical Earth to interpret observations and then used those interpretations to reinforce their original assumption.
- This process is circular reasoning, where the conclusion is assumed in the premise and used to prove itself.

5. Lack of Direct Evidence: No direct evidence was available to conclusively prove the Earth was a sphere. All conclusions were based on interpretations of observations that could have alternative explanations under a flat Earth model.

6. Dismissal of Alternative Models: Alternative explanations, such as those proposing a flat Earth, were often dismissed without thorough consideration. This dismissal was based on the prevailing philosophical bias rather than empirical refutation.

7. Historical Continuity and Bias: The spherical Earth model became entrenched in scholarly tradition and education, creating a bias that perpetuated the model without critical reassessment.

Conclusion

The argument against ancient claims that they proved the Earth was round is that:
- They began with an unverified assumption of a spherical Earth influenced by philosophical ideas of symmetry.
- They selectively interpreted observations to fit this assumption, engaging in circular reasoning.
- They ignored or dismissed contradictory evidence such as the selenelion phenomenon.
- They relied on geometric principles, such as Pythagoras' theorem, that involved circular reasoning.
- They overlooked the fact that instruments like the astrolabe only function accurately on a flat Earth.
- They lacked direct evidence to conclusively prove their hypothesis.
- Their conclusions were reinforced by historical continuity and bias rather than empirical verification.

This suggests that their claims were based on flawed reasoning, relying on assumptions and selective interpretations that supported their initial beliefs while ignoring alternative explanations consistent with a flat and stationary Earth.