Do you Believe In ....... ?

It seems I forgot that life after death question. No, I don't.

Gaa! I can't find the Atlantis quote. I'll have to dig a little deeper.

Well, I can't find the exact Atlantis quote because there are too many thousands of pages to sift through, so I'll do my best to paraphrase.

It's impossible anachronistically, as it would require knowledge of the future on Plato's part, but so very true. The gist of the idea is that America is Atlantis, the land of splendor and promise across the sea; a land for the first time in the history of the world founded on the correct premise: freedom. Hopefully it doesn't follow the course of the Atlantis legend and sink into destruction over the corruption of that principle.

That is a new one! Very interesting!

Well, this was on Wiki.

Quote:

Many great and wonderful deeds are recorded of your state in our histories. But one of them exceeds all the rest in greatness and valour. For these histories tell of a mighty power which unprovoked made an expedition against the whole of Europe and Asia, and to which your city put an end. This power came forth out of the Atlantic Ocean, for in those days the Atlantic was navigable; and there was an island situated in front of the straits which are by you called the Pillars of Heracles; the island was larger than Libya and Asia put together, and was the way to other islands, and from these you might pass to the whole of the opposite continent which surrounded the true ocean; for this sea which is within the Straits of Heracles is only a harbour, having a narrow entrance, but that other is a real sea, and the surrounding land may be most truly called a boundless continent. Now in this island of Atlantis there was a great and wonderful empire... (from Timaeus)

Huh, that's a new one to me. I knew Plato had written about Atlantis, but I never heard the idea that it might be America. That's interesting. I suppose it is not impossible that the ancient Greeks might have had knowledge of the western continents. The "great and wonderful empire" was probably just part of spinning a tale, I suppose.

The Komrade wrote:

The gist of the idea is that America is Atlantis, the land of splendor and promise across the sea; a land for the first time in the history of the world founded on the correct premise: freedom.

A very interesting idea or theory. I have never heard that one before.

DivineDragon wrote:

Quote:
As a story embedded in Plato's dialogues, Atlantis is generally seen as a myth created by Plato to illustrate his political theories.

That's what I recall being the first recorded mention of Atlantis.

Thoul wrote:

I suppose it is not impossible that the ancient Greeks might have had knowledge of the western continents. The "great and wonderful empire" was probably just part of spinning a tale, I suppose.

The Carthaginians actually made it to America in BC times. So did someone else that I can't recall at the moment. It might've been the Egyptians. Evidently navigation was better than some Roman historians would lead us to believe.

Quote:

The Carthaginians actually made it to America in BC times. So did someone else that I can't recall at the moment. It might've been the Egyptians. Evidently navigation was better than some Roman historians would lead us to believe.

Oh, really? I hadn't heard of that. I heard the Vikings might have, but I think that wasn't conclusive.

It really puts a damper on Columbus Day, huh?

Thoul wrote:

Oh, really? I hadn't heard of that. I heard the Vikings might have, but I think that wasn't conclusive.

I think they did make it, at least to Canada. It goes to show that the history records we have aren't necessarily complete or even true; in most cases all we have to rely on are the accounts of which the surviving cultures wrote, and the Romans were notorious spin-doctors...