Sceptics of the existence of Atlantis have been around since the time of Plato. The first such critic was Aristotle, a pupil of Plato who denounced the Atlantis tale as an invention. However he does record the existence a large island in the Atlantic known to the Phoenicians as Antilia, inadvertently supporting Plato’s story (i). Many modern commentators believe that in the interests of dramatic effect Plato heavily embellished the core truth underlying the story, namely that of an ancient submerged civilisation. It is probable that it was these additions that Aristotle was referring to. His scepticism was apparently unique among classical writers.
However, when we consider modern sceptics we find that they have been provided with unlimited ammunition by the poor scholarship of many Atlantis supporters and the outright ravings of the likes of Blavatsky, Steiner, Cayce, and a profusion of other authors, who claim to have channelled information regarding Atlantis.
Edwin Ramage, in his essay[522] on Atlantis, makes the interesting comment that “believers tend to overshadow the sceptics for the simple reason that a positive theory, whether it is simple or elaborate, tends to be more attractive and to make better reading than any attempt at refutation, no matter how well taken it may be.” This is probably akin to referenda questions being framed by governments in a manner that ensures a Yes vote will provide the outcome that they want. This is because most people prefer to say Yes rather than No.
However, if the Atlantis narrative has any truth in it, the legitimate criticisms of sceptics must be given due consideration. One such sceptic is Paul Jordan who has produced a highly critical work[418] on the subject. Jason Colavito is another vocal non-believer and has written a considerable amount on the subject(d). A number of other websites(a)(b)(c)(e) can also be recommended.
While I expect that few sceptics will be reading this entry, I would recommend to anyone a paper by Karla Mclaren, a former New Age ‘believer’ who developed into a sceptic(f).
(i) Strabo, II, 102 and XII, 598. Cf. Proclus In Timaeum 61a (Diehl I, p. 197).
(a) http://www.thehallofmaat.com/maat/index.php
(b) http://www.skepdic.com/atlantis.html
(c) http://www.intersurf.com/~chalcedony/wildside.shtml
(d) http://searchatlantis.blogspot.com/2007/08/atlantis-mu-and-maya.html
(e) http://www.skepticssa.org.au/html/atlantis.html
(f) http://www.csicop.org/si/show/bridging_the_chasm_between_two_cultures/
