atlantis

Question

is atlantis true or not

Deadrat · Accepted Answer

If you mean was there ever a continent called "Atlantis" that sank into the Atlantic Ocean, the answer is no, that story is not true. If you're asking how to write your question correctly, see below.

"Is the story of Atlantis true or not?"

Anonymous · Answer

deadratIf you mean was there ever a continent called "Atlantis" that sank into the Atlantic Ocean, the answer is no, that story is not true.

There are different opinions about that.

deadratIf you're asking how to write your question correctly, see below. "Is the story of Atlantis true or not?"

That's a better way of asking. Another way would be to ask "Was Atlantis real?"

Deadrat · Answer

AnonymousThere are different opinions about that.

Yes, there are. Informed (which I've given) and others. Some have speculated the volcanic explosion of the Mediterranean island of Santorini (17-th - 16th century BCE) may have given rise to the myth of the destruction of Atlantis, but we know enough about the floor of the Atlantic Ocean and plate tectonics to be assured that no continent or large island sank below that ocean's surface in historical times.

Anonymous · Answer

Logically, you can say that you don't think that it existed or, that it was unlikely. It has not been proven not to have existed somewhere.

Deadrat · Answer

Plato documented the myth of Atlantis in two of his dialogues, in which he describes a naval power situated beyond the Pillars of Hercules (i.e., west of the Strait of Gibraltar) on a huge island in the Atlantic Ocean. Atlantis supposedly attacked Athens, which was able to repel the attack. Eventually Atlantis fell out of favor with gods and was destroyed by submersion in the ocean. This story has sparked the imaginations of many, including crackpot "psychic" Edgar Cayce, who popularized the story.

It is important to understand the difference between proof and fact and between the true and the valid. Proof is best reserved bakers, brewers, minters, lawyers, and mathematicians. The last prove things by making assumptions and following a set of logical inferences to conclusions, which are then declared true. Scientists, on the other hand, gather evidence of facts to support models of the world, which models when supplied with sufficient evidence are called valid.

Unfortunately, English vernacular doesn't make these distinctions, so you'll hear "Science has proved that the universe is expanding" or "Quantum mechanics gives us a true picture of the nanoworld." But actually science has only given evidence of the expansion of the universe, and quantum mechanics has only posited a model of subatomic interactions, albeit one good to fourteen decimal places.

The existence of Atlantis as an erstwhile continent in the Atlantic Ocean isn't a matter decidable by logic or amenable to absolute proof. I don't say that "I think" that Atlantis never existed. I know for a fact that Atlantis never existed (at least as described by Plato and Cayce) using Stephen J. Gould's definition of "fact" as something "confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent." This confirmation arises from observations of the sea floor in the Atlantic. Not only is there no submerged Atlantean continental crust down there, such a thing would be incompatible with the theory of continental drift and the known processes for making new continental land. There have been many places proposed as remnants of Atlantis, but when geologists examine them, they fine they're the product of orogenic uplift with no evidence of nearby submersion.

If your standard of proof is "not proven not to have existed somewhere," then I can't meet that standard. But you'll also have to accept the existence of magical unicorns. I'm not willing to do that either.

Anonymous · Answer

deadratIf your standard of proof is "not proven not to have existed somewhere," then I can't meet that standard. But you'll also have to accept the existence of magical unicorns.

No, I don't have to. I can say that I don't think they exist or have ever been real but, nobody can demonstrate with certainty that they have not.

Religion is another example. Many people don't believe in any religion because, they have not been convinced that any religious claims are true or ever have been. At the same time, they can't demonstrate with certainty that they never were true.

Like Atlantis, they are myths that so far, can't be proven as true or false.

Deadrat · Answer

Sorry, I should have said, "Logically, you have to accept the existence of magic unicorns." Obviously, you may choose to accept or reject whatever you wish on whatever grounds you wish.

I think if you go back and read what I said about proof and facts, you'll find that we're in violent agreement on most things, including apparently, that Atlantis is a myth.

Anonymous · Answer

deadratSorry, I should have said, "Logically, you have to accept the existence of magic unicorns." Obviously, you may choose to accept or reject whatever you wish on whatever grounds you wish.I think if you go back and read what I said about proof and facts, you'll find that we're in violent agreement on most things, including apparently, that Atlantis is a myth.

The point was, that Atlantis can't be demonstrated with certainty never to have existed. Just like religions.

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