The Truth about Atlantis (2019)

Summary

If you are like most Americans, chances are, you probably believe that Atlantis or another civilization like it once existed. A survey conducted by Chapman University in October 2014 found that, at that time, roughly 63% of people in the United States agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “ancient, advanced civilizations, such as Atlantis, once existed.” These numbers do not seem to be rapidly falling away either; when Chapman University conducted the same survey again in October 2018, they found that, this time around, 57% of people in the United States agreed or strongly agreed with the exact same statement. In other words, they seem to fairly consistently find that roughly six in ten people in the United States believe in the existence of Atlantis or another highly technologically advanced civilization like it. These numbers are absolutely astounding considering that Atlantis is pure fiction; we know exactly where the story comes from, who made it up, and where he drew his inspiration from. This would be like if, in 2,500 years, 57% of people in some futuristic civilization believe that Westeros once existed. It is truly astonishing. Nonetheless, it seems there is just something so romantic about the idea of a lost, highly advanced civilization that no one wants to accept the reality that Atlantis is totally made up. The real story of Atlantis The story of Atlantis originates from a series of dialogues written by the ancient Athenian philosopher Plato (lived c. 429 – c. 347 BC), probably near the very end of his life. The first dialogue in the series is titled Timaios. It begins with Socrates having a conversation with three famous individuals: the Pythagorean philosopher Timaios, the Athenian politician Kritias, and the Syracusan general Hermokrates. Socrates remarks that his discussion the previous day about the nature of the ideal state has left him eager to learn more about what the ideal state would be like in action and how it would interact with oth...