Deconstructing Atlantis: What Makes a Myth? Plato’s Allegorical Atlantis (Part 2)

We've heard the original source for Atlantis, but why is it that Plato's Timaeus and Critias can't be termed "myths"? If it isn't a myth, how do we know that there isn't some history behind it? This episode details what we do know about Plato's Atlantis and what that proves.

CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing.

Sources/Further Reading: Plato's Timaeus and Critias, quotes translated by Benjamin Jowett; A Brief History of Atlantis: Plato's Ideal State by Stephen P. Kershaw (includes alternate translation of Plato); PDF: Truth, Lies, and History in Plato's Timaeus and Critias by Thomas K Johansen, 1998.

Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Special podcast artwork by Sara Richard.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.