Tuesday, June 21, 2005
What Plato didn't say
It seems as though there is increasing tolerance of the concept of longlost civilisations, the most famous of which must surely be Atlantis. What I find most interesting (at this point in time) is the origin of the legend.
The first respectable author to note the mythical island's existence is Plato in his text Critias, which consists of a dialogue between Critias, Socrates and two others. Although this work is unfinished it has formed the basis for the explosion of interest in the possibility that there might have been reasonably advanced civilisations long before our time.
Project Gutenberg provides an English translation of Plato's text. The text is written in Plato's regular conservational style and, being an unfinished and short text, should be read by anyone with an interest in classic civilisations, deluges or unsolved mysteries.
The first respectable author to note the mythical island's existence is Plato in his text Critias, which consists of a dialogue between Critias, Socrates and two others. Although this work is unfinished it has formed the basis for the explosion of interest in the possibility that there might have been reasonably advanced civilisations long before our time.
Project Gutenberg provides an English translation of Plato's text. The text is written in Plato's regular conservational style and, being an unfinished and short text, should be read by anyone with an interest in classic civilisations, deluges or unsolved mysteries.
