The Atlantis Dialogue

by Plato, Aaron Shepard (Editor), Benjamin Jowett (Translator)

s/t: Plato's Original Story of the Lost City, Continent, Empire, Civilization
Atlantis was first introduced to world literature by the Greek philosopher Plato in two "dialogues" he wrote in the fourth century B.C. His tale of a great empire that sank beneath the waves has sparked thousands of years of debate over whether Atlantis really existed. But did Plato mean his tale as history, or just as a parable to help illustrate his philosophy?

In this book, you'll find everything Plato said about Atlantis, in the context he intended. Now you can read and judge for yourself!

Genres: Philosophy, Classics, Nonfiction, Drama

46 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2001

About the author

Plato (Greek: Πλάτων), born Aristocles (c. 427 – 348 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms. He raised problems for what became all the major areas of both theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy, and was the founder of the Platonic Academy, a philosophical school in Athens where Plato taught the doctrines that would later become known as Platonism.
Plato's most famous contribution is the theory of forms (or ideas), which has been interpreted as advancing a solution to what is now known as the problem of universals. He was decisively influenced by the pre-Socratic thinkers Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, although much of what is known about them is derived from Plato himself.
Along with his teacher Socrates, and Aristotle, his student, Plato is a central figure in the history of philosophy. Plato's entire body of work is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years—unlike that of nearly all of his contemporaries. Although their popularity has fluctuated, they have consistently been read and studied through the ages. Through Neoplatonism, he also greatly influenced both Christian and Islamic philosophy. In modern times, Alfred North Whitehead famously said: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."

Reviews

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The myth of Atlantis pervades and informs Western Philosophical and Fantastical thought. Here is where it all starts with Plato's dialogue where Critias explains to Socrates that Atlantis is a fact and not a myth. We get a thorough description of Atlantis, where it is in the Atlantic Ocean, how it is laid out, and how the various classes of people live. Sadly, it ends before we hear all that Critias has to tell. The Atlantis Dialogue is unfinished. Everyone who studies Western history should read this.

[Samantha Hehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

An edition of the Atlantis Dialogue which touches on the origins of where Plato first heard the tale of Atlantis. It mostly talks about what the society and kingdom looked liked, but just when it gets interesting, the story ends. Plato stops writing, and in parenthesis is says 'manuscript ends here', which makes you want to know more, but also opens the imagination. Unfortunately, the rest of the tale has been lost to history.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talk about a cliff-hanger! This is the best cliff-hanger ending I’ve ever encountered in literature!! I’ll leave it for you to discover.

This book surprised me greatly as, while I was reading, I was continually reminded of the truth from Scripture that there is nothing new under the sun. Snippets of a great flood, minimal survivors who set about to preserve ancestor names, and greatly detailed laws and regulations prescribed on how to govern the people. Makes me pretty suspicious that Plato was familiar with at least some of the Pentateuch. Also, the laws were designed to ensure the people interacted morally upright with one another; words like “obedience to the law”, and “...the god, whose seed they were...”, “uniting gentleness with wisdom”, “thinking lightly of their possession of gold and other property”, a recognition of wisdom to hold these things lightly, and that “too great a regard and respect for them , they are lost, and friendship with them.” (Sounds like idolatry to me).

Then appears Zeus, “the god of gods, who rules according to law, and sees into such things...” (sound familiar, Christian?). No more said. But I betcha when you read the ending if the book, that you’ll see yet another piece of evidence supporting my premise, “there is nothing new under the sun”, and that Plato’s inspiration was from tenets of Truth recorded in the revelation of God to His Creation.

This translation is a fast read, and easy to understand. Enjoy!

[esotericfaery · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you Aaron Shepard, B. Jowett, Shepard Publications, and Netgalley for this free ARC in exchange for a review.

I'm confused and shocked that this is all Plato said about Atlantis. There's almost nothing here. Certainly not enough of anything of note.

[Manuel Gómez-Ortigoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

translation into English of the Atlantis dialogue

Useful to have a complete version of the discussions and description of mythical Atlantis.
Easy to read and understand without having to go through the whole “The Republic”

[Matt D’Aquino · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this dialogue Plato sets the scene of a dramatic strong. He talks about the land, the building, the walls, the laws etc….and then it just ends!!

It would be fascinating if we climb hear the rest of the story.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to think that the whole of the mythology of Atlantis—books and movies and comics and everything—descends from this little, unfinished story. Remarkable.

[Amarachi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its really beautiful

[Eva Newcastle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a handy little reference to park alongside Timaeus and Critics on a shelf.

[A. D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Story.
04:00-05:30

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

not my type of book

[Constantia Munda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "Timaeus and Critias Dialogues" have gone in and out of philosophical fashion. A lot of repetition from "The Republic" but the Atlantis description is the only written text of that infamous city.

As with most philosophy the academic "Introduction" is harder to understand than the 2000 year old text. Regardless there were some good stuff in the dialogues.
1 - The Demiurge and Craftsman of the World Soul and Human Soul Body is good.
2 - The Atlantis Story is a "Casual or Likely Story."
3 - Section on "Being and Becoming" was obviously the reference for Shakespeare to summarize with "To be, or not to be, is the question."
4 - In Physics section Plato's 'Forms" are explained. he associated each of the four classical elements (earth, air, water, and fire) with a regular solid. Earth was associated with the cube, air with the octahedron, water with the icosahedron, and fire with the tetrahedron. Of the fifth Platonic solid, the dodecahedron, Plato obscurely remarked, "...the god used [it] for arranging the constellations on the whole heaven".

5 - Aristotle added a fifth element, aither (aether in Latin, "ether" in English) and postulated that the heavens were made of this element, but he had no interest in matching it with Plato's fifth solid.[4]

6 - Dialogues end abruptly - as if unfinished.

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good, I guess. Now that I have read the "original" text I can safely say that I do not believe Atlantis ever existed. The descriptions of the island continent proved to me that it could not have possibly existed, especially if it was situated between Europe and America. However, there is evidence that a city did in fact sink in a single day and night . . . on the island of Crete, which is off the coast of Greece. The stories from the survivors could have inspired Plato to write about one of the world's most well-known island, Atlantis. The same could be said for El Dorado in South America and for Shangri La in the Himalayas, they are merely fictional cities that have sparked our interests and imaginations.

[Aaron Winston · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I have read these compiled dialogue sections within Plato's Critias and Timaeus, it was nonetheless interesting to read both sections in a diachronic compilation. The translation was easy to follow and, as when I was a small child, I still find myself enraptured by the tale of Atlantis. The editor's note, furthermore, solidifies the conception of Atlantis' fictional creation as a tool to highlight the virtues and ills of a people and city-state. As with any of Plato's dialogues, I would recommend this piece (plus it was 34 cents for the Kindle Edition, so you can't truly go wrong).

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an interesting book not because it's talking about Atlantis but the laws and the plans for their future. Assimilation of women, giving education only to "valuable" ones, giving money to workers just enough to live on are a few of those plans. Extreme narcissism about themselves, their class etc. It is the beginning of patriotism, patriarchy and capitalism.

[Keith Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting information

Well worth the read. It not only is able to spark the imagination, it ties bits of info that due to being of a lost antiquity may envelop one's growth into the future.

[Mike Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enlightening description of Atlantis, alas based on this I don't believe the island existed

[Carl Hruza · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is a madman and should not be trusted.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was exactly what I needed, but not exactly an intriguing novel.