Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything

In an age where the conscious mind is constantly barraged with information, opinion pieces, and memes, conspiracy theories have rocketed and amassed giant followings among those who question and challenge reality, even against logic and science. Kelly Weill’s Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything is a concise biography of one of the largest and most fascinating conspiracy theories to have taken over a collective human psyche.

Weill has spent the last few years attending Flat Earth conferences and getting to know the attendees and prominent figures in the movement while researching its history and the sociology and psychology of conspiracy theories. These personal connections bring a new face to the topic, often held at arm’s length and/or ogled as a circus act. While the book does discuss the cult-like tendencies of conspiracy theorists, and the insecurities, cognitive dissonance, and self-isolation that come with the territory, its voice is compassionate.

A keen observer and a thorough researcher, Weill moves past morbid curiosity and presents a comprehensive study to show how people of different backgrounds and intelligence could dismiss reality. The result of her meticulous care allows the reader to step in from the circus seats and understand Flat Earth in all of its sides, edges, and corners.