Leo Ferrari
Dr. Leo Charles Ferrari (8th December 1927 - 7th October 2010[1]), a professor at St. Thomas University[2], was a co-founder, president, and active member of the satirical group known as the Flat Earth Society of Canada[2][3]. Dr. Ferarri founded his Flat Earth Society in Fredericton, New Brunswick in November, 1970.
Ferrari and Flat Earth
Dr. Ferrari took a very post-modern approach to the Flat Earth Theory, proposing to overturn the authority of scientists and instead rely on one's own perception of the Earth's shape. He argued that no authority can deterministically claim what is and isn't true, and hoped to restore the sense of validity of personal inquiry and perception. This was largely in response to "science's insistence on the things unseen". Ferrari worried that society was being blinded by science and technology, and that they had lost touch with their own bodies and rational conclusions.
His promotional brochure, subtitled "We're on the level", stated the following postulates[4]:
- We believe in terra firma, and the more firmer the less terror.
- All science, like all philosophy and all religion is ultimately metaphorical and... reality is essentially mystical and poetical.
- Our aim is to restore man's faith in Common Sense... Seeing is believing. ...Man has been blinded by metaphysics, brainwashed by popular fallacies and bullied into denying the evidence of his very own eyes!
Leo also wrote poetry, a lot of which had to do with the Flat Earth.
Historical Overview
A PhD dissertation, titled Serious play: Alden Nowlan, Leo Ferrari, Gwendolyn MacEwen, and their Flat Earth Society provides a historical research and overview of Leo Ferarri's Flat Earth Society. One of the key points of interest in the research is whether it was a serious or satirical organization. The author claims that it was a mix of the two. The dissertation author goes to lengths to argue that the points Dr. Ferrari was making had a serious basis, and should be merited as scholarly works that contributed to his work as a philosopher. The humor may have distracted from this, and his contributions have remained unsung.
The dissertation author remarks:
- “ Despite its aberrant and oppositional spirit, FES appeared within an identifiable cultural context and participated in a countercultural tradition that continues to this day. The Society’s surface lampoon embeds potent social critique and creative meaning. In
other words, FES was not merely playful, nor merely serious, but interweaved these modes in a compelling way; the Society looks by turns intelligent and unintelligible, stupid and sophisticated. Further, it invited contributions from members and applicants: seldom-seen interpretations of “Planoterrestrialism” by individuals from many walks of life and now housed in archives at the University of New Brunswick and University of Calgary. The participatory, humorous, and poetic nature of FES means that its unusual brand of Flat Earthism cannot be tied to any singular ideology, place, or literary tradition. It operates as an enigmatic, errant, itinerant, and underground non-ideology. Planoterrestrial thought is reflected in the playful poetic styles of Nowlan, Ferrari, and MacEwen: three Society members who were nonetheless serious authors and sincere in their role as cultural workers, their Flat Earth antics not excepted. ”
It should be noted that Flat Earth's advocates were not always serious. The FAQ from the theflatearthsociety.org originally had some satirical content ("Some people believe that the earth rests on four elephants and a turtle"), which was updated and erased over time. Samuel Shelton and Charles K. Johnson had some satirical content in their Flat Earth Societies as well (Flat Earth Membership Cards, "Galileo was a liar" Flat Earth News headlines). It is also possible that the very name Flat Earth Society was originally meant to be a satirical name, possibly used as a tool to draw attention and publicity to the concept and research and ideas they were advocating.
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