Anyone with common sense can simply look around and tell the earth is flat. However, the earth is not flat, despite millions of years of humans being certain it was. The basic problem of believing what seems obvious is still around and having a pow-erful impact on the everyday lives of all Americans in ways that get overlooked.

This thought-provoking book offers insight into how this has come about, plus a number of contemporary examples of firm-ly-held beliefs that crumple under analysis. Readers may encounter points that enrage them, but always keep in mind that for millions of years, anyone who suggested the earth was not flat was rejected or persecuted for insulting everyone's intelligence.