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Plato's Critias Revisited: The Tale of Atlantis and the Harmonics of Memory

Plato's Critias Revisited: The Tale of Atlantis and the Harmonics of Memory

FromPlato's Pod: Dialogues on the works of Plato


Plato's Critias Revisited: The Tale of Atlantis and the Harmonics of Memory

FromPlato's Pod: Dialogues on the works of Plato

ratings:
Length:
113 minutes
Released:
Dec 18, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

Plato brought the legend of Atlantis to the world in the Timaeus, and in the Critias provided many details of the fabulously wealthy and technologically advanced society that fell into disharmony and disappeared in a great earthquake 9,000 years earlier. As the character Critias relates the story, over time the Atlanteans gradually forgot their divine origin from the god Poseidon and began to pursue material wealth, losing their harmony and bringing upon themselves the punishment of Zeus. On December 3, 2023, members of the Toronto, Calgary, and Chicago Philosophy Meetup groups addressed the curious ending of the tale told by the character Critias, just as he was about to quote the words of Zeus. Was this cliff-hanger, “and he said …” a theatrical device of Plato, or a case of lost writing, or was Plato telling us that no human can know the mind of a god? The theme of memory plays throughout the dialogue, and Critias says that memory is particularly difficult when opinion applies in representing human actions over time. Was the ancient story that Critias relates a warning to the Athenians of his time about social constitutions like those of Atlantis that become too rigidly rooted in the past, and are there warnings in it for our time? The mystery of Atlantis has endured for 2,400 years since Plato’s writing, and in our discussion we may have found some clues to understanding the lessons of Atlantean history.
Released:
Dec 18, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (59)

Welcome to Plato's Pod, a bi-weekly podcast of a group discussion on the dialogues of Plato. The discussion is held through Meetup.com by the Toronto Philosophy and Calgary Philosophy groups and anyone interested in participating, whether to learn about Plato or to contribute to the dialogue, is welcome to join with no experience required! The podcast is hosted by amateur philosopher James Myers and inquiries can be e-mailed to dialoguesonplato@outlook.com. Wherever we go in our discussions we gain knowledge from each other’s perspectives, and for the increase in knowledge we invite everyone to add their voice to the dialogue. Plato, without a doubt, would have imagined no better way than in dialogue for knowledge – the account of the reasons why – to find its home.