Thorwald C. Franke | Independent Researcher (original) (raw)
Videos by Thorwald C. Franke
Thorwald C. Franke demonstrates how the 9000 years of Plato's Atlantis in the dialogues Timaeus a... more Thorwald C. Franke demonstrates how the 9000 years of Plato's Atlantis in the dialogues Timaeus and Critias have to be interpreted under a historical-critical perspective, and how this number has been misinterpreted time and again through the ages, until today. (Private Lecture 2018)
153 views
Books by Thorwald C. Franke
Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis-geschichte-hypothesen.htm - Second edition ... more Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis-geschichte-hypothesen.htm - Second edition now in 2 volumes, with 235 additional authors. 420 additional references to literature have been included. Now there are ca. 1400 source-indicating footnotes, a bibliography with ca. 1000 entries, and an index of persons with ca. 1150 entries. - The history of Atlantis hypotheses now completely revised: * Finally all authors from Antiquity! * Finally a detailed discussion of the authors from Antiquity, doing justice to their statements, with all the secondary literature. * Additionally many until now unknown authors from Antiquity, who clearly allude to Plato's Atlantis without mentioning this explicitly. * For the first time many authors from the Middle Ages! * Many important yet until now unknown authors from the Renaissance until Modernity! Widely spread misconceptions concerning the history of Atlantis reception are rectified! * In Antiquity, Plato's Atlantis was not at all considered predominantly as an invention. * The Middle Ages was not at all silent about Atlantis. * The establishment of academic Atlantis skepticism did not happen until the 19th century and is based on the fiction of an allegedly matured academic theory. * The crazy explosion of localization hypotheses did not start until the end of the 19th century, and clearly not with the discovery of America. * Predominant misconceptions of Atlantis supporters as well as Atlantis skeptics concerning many authors are rectified. * Many pseudo-scientific speculations are rejected. Interesting details are clarified: * At the start and at the end of the Middle Ages, the debate about Plato's Atlantis played an important role in the battle between science and superstition. * The crazy explosion of localization hypotheses and the establishment of academic Atlantis skepticism are closely interrelated. * The alleged connection of National Socialism and Atlantis is meticulously analysed and disproved. * And much more.
Platonische Mythen, 2021
Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/platonische-mythen-platon.htm -- Platonische Mythen ... more Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/platonische-mythen-platon.htm -- Platonische Mythen sind ein seltsames Thema, über das der Leser vielleicht hie und da schon einmal gestolpert sein mag. Seltsam deshalb, weil Platon eigentlich als Begründer des rationalen, philosophischen Denkens gilt. Warum gibt es dann Mythen bei Platon? Seltsam auch deshalb, weil das Thema immer nur am Rande auftaucht und offenbar gemieden wird. Was verbirgt sich hier? Und seltsam auch deshalb, weil diese Platonischen Mythen irgendwie anders sind als die bekannten Mythen der griechischen Mythologie. - Was also sind Platonische Mythen und welchem Zweck dienen sie? Diese Frage soll in diesem Buch ausführlich untersucht und verständlich erklärt werden. Platonische Mythen sind integraler Bestandteil der Philosophie Platons. Sie dürfen keinesfalls nachlässig beiseite geschoben werden. Platonische Mythen sind aber auch kein Hokuspokus. Sie verwischen die Grenze zwischen Rationalität und Mythos nicht. Zahlreiche Irrtümer, die auch in wissenschaftlichen Kreisen im Umlauf sind, werden widerlegt. Ein konsistentes und klares Konzept entwirrt die oft verwirrenden Erklärungen zu Platonische Mythen. - Eine umfangreiche und systematische Übersicht der Platonischen Mythen, jeweils mit einer ausführlichen Analyse, wird im Anhang gegeben. Außerdem im Anhang zahlreiche Besprechungen der Meinungen maßgeblicher wissenschaftlicher Autoren zum Phänomen der Platonischen Mythen.
Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis-geschichte-hypothesen.htm The history o... more Book Web site:
https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis-geschichte-hypothesen.htm
The history of Atlantis hypotheses now completely revised:
* Finally all authors from Antiquity!
* Finally a detailed discussion of the authors from Antiquity, doing justice to their statements, with all the secondary literature.
* Additionally many until now unknown authors from Antiquity, who clearly allude to Plato's Atlantis without mentioning this explicitly.
* For the first time many authors from the Middle Ages!
* Many important yet until now unknown authors from the Renaissance until Modernity!
Widely spread misconceptions concerning the history of Atlantis reception are rectified!
* In Antiquity, Plato's Atlantis was not at all considered predominantly as an invention.
* The Middle Ages was not at all silent about Atlantis.
* The establishment of academic Atlantis skepticism did not happen until the 19th century and is based on the fiction of an allegedly matured academic theory.
* The crazy explosion of localization hypotheses did not start until the end of the 19th century, and clearly not with the discovery of America.
* Predominant misconceptions of Atlantis supporters as well as Atlantis skeptics concerning many authors are rectified.
* Many pseudo-scientific speculations are rejected.
Interesting details are clarified:
* At the start and at the end of the Middle Ages, the debate about Plato's Atlantis played an important role in the battle between science and superstition.
* The crazy explosion of localization hypotheses and the establishment of academic Atlantis skepticism are closely interrelated.
* The alleged connection of National Socialism and Atlantis is meticulously analysed and disproved.
With more than 1000 source-indicating footnotes, a bibliography with more than 550 entries, and an index of persons with ca. 750 entries.
Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis\_aristotle.htm Aristotle considered Plat... more Book Web site:
https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis_aristotle.htm
Aristotle considered Plato’s Atlantis to be an invention; so we read time and again – but is this really true? Until the late 19th century, academia still held the opposite opinion. How did this shift in opinion take place? And was it justified?
Over 100 works from the Atlantis and Aristotle literature, from antiquity to the Renaissance, from the 18th to the 21st century, were examined in order to track down the truth. A scientific adventure regarding Aristotle’s opinion about Atlantis unfolds step by step, starting 200 years ago and reaching into the present.
What did the great philosopher and disciple of Plato really think? All the relevant passages from Aristotle’s works as well as all the steps taken during the literary research are documented in the appendix.
Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis\_syracuse.htm Syracuse was the place whe... more Book Web site:
https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis_syracuse.htm
Syracuse was the place where Plato tried to approach his ideal state in reality - and failed because of the decadence and unjustness of the city and its ruler. Indeed, Syracuse shares many similarities with Plato's Atlantis: Like Atlantis, it was situated on a large and fertile island in the west, a city of abundant wealth and power. As in Atlantis, the ruler's castle and magnificent temples were gathered on a small island. As in Atlantis, there were several harbors, quarries and walls encircling the city. And like Atlantis, Syracuse waged war with Athens.
But what sounds like a hot trail to decipher the enigma of Plato's Atlantis lay forgotten for a long time: As early as 1917, far ahead of his time, Gunnar Rudberg wrote this most coherent scientific analysis. The world did not, however, take notice of a Swedish text. Translated now for the first time, Rudberg's thesis is still a very good read on Plato's Atlantis, presenting not only one of the most credible solutions for Plato's Atlantis, but also offering an introduction to Atlantis research in general; the work confronts today's prevailing hypotheses with valuable criticism. Also included is a remarkable classification scheme of ancient and modern Atlantis hypotheses.
Gunnar Rudberg (1880-1954) was an internationally renowned Swedish classicist, Professor of Classical Philology and Greek Language and Literature at the universities of Oslo and Uppsala. Rudberg’s scientific works had Plato as their focus.
Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis\_aristoteles.htm Aristoteles hielt das A... more Book Web site:
https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis_aristoteles.htm
Aristoteles hielt das Atlantis des Platon für eine Erfindung, so liest man es immer wieder. Doch stimmt das wirklich? Bis zum Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts galt in der Wissenschaft noch die gegenteilige Auffassung. Wie kam es zu diesem Meinungsumschwung? Und war er berechtigt?
Über 100 Werke der Atlantis- und Aristoteles-Literatur, von der Antike bis zur Renaissance, vom 18. bis zum 21. Jahrhundert, wurden untersucht, um der Wahrheit auf die Spur zu kommen. Dabei entfaltet sich Schritt für Schritt ein Wissenschaftskrimi rund um die Meinung des Aristoteles über Atlantis, der vor 200 Jahren begann und bis in die Gegenwart andauert. Was also dachte der große Philosoph und Schüler Platons wirklich?
Alle relevanten Stellen aus den Werken des Aristoteles sowie die Literaturrecherche sind im Anhang komplett dokumentiert.
Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis\_herodot.htm Kein anderer antiker Autor ... more Book Web site:
https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis_herodot.htm
Kein anderer antiker Autor war "dichter dran" an Atlantis als Herodot:
Herodot reiste persönlich zum mutmaßlichen Ursprungsort des Atlantis-Berichtes nach Ägypten. Seine Augenzeugenberichte verfasste er in derselben Zeit, in der die Überlieferung des Atlantis-Berichtes von Solon auf Platon womöglich noch in vollem Gange war. In seinem Werk beschreibt Herodot zudem die Geschichte und Geographie der ganzen damals bekannten Welt, in der wir Atlantis finden oder widerlegen müssen.
Damit erweist sich Herodot als eine wahre Fundgrube für die Atlantis-Forschung: Zahllose Informationen und Indizien führen uns zu fundierten Vorstellungen davon, ob Atlantis wirklich ein realer Ort war, und wenn ja, wo es lag und wann es unterging.
Begeben wir uns gemeinsam mit Herodot auf Entdeckungsreise - auf den Spuren von Atlantis!
Papers by Thorwald C. Franke
Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference "The Atlantis Hypothesis" (Atlantis 2008), 10-11 November 2008 Athens/Greece, 2010
The Atlantis Research Charter defines Atlantis research as a science. It defends Atlantis researc... more The Atlantis Research Charter defines Atlantis research as a science. It defends Atlantis research against typical misunderstandings and criticism: Against the pseudo-science of non-scientists, against the dogmatism of established scientists and against the abuse of Plato’s Atlantis for political and other reasons. Everybody is invited to reconsider his view on Plato’s Atlantis and Atlantis research on the basis of this charter and to individually express his own views.
-- Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference "The Atlantis Hypothesis" (Atlantis 2008), 10-11 November 2008 Athens/Greece, Publisher: Heliotopos Conferences / Heliotopos Ltd., Athens 2010; pp. 637-643.
ABSTRACT: In 2006 the first systematic analysis of Herodotus' Histories under the aspect of the A... more ABSTRACT: In 2006 the first systematic analysis of Herodotus' Histories under the aspect of the Atlantis problem has been published (Franke 2006). This paper presents a short overview of the scope and the results of this German-language analysis in English language.
ABSTRACT: The Atlantis Research Charter defines Atlantis research as a science. It defends Atlant... more ABSTRACT: The Atlantis Research Charter defines Atlantis research as a science. It defends Atlantis research against typical misunderstandings and criticism: Against the pseudo-science of non-scientists, against the dogmatism of established scientists and against the abuse of Plato's Atlantis for political and other reasons. Everybody is invited to reconsider his view on Plato's Atlantis and Atlantis research on the basis of this charter and to individually express his own views.
Follow-up publication to a Conference paper, published on the Web site Atlantis-Scout.
ABSTRACT: The argumentation on "Italos = Atlas" presented on the Atlantis Conference 2008, cf. Fr... more ABSTRACT: The argumentation on "Italos = Atlas" presented on the Atlantis Conference 2008, cf. Franke (2008), is on the right track but nevertheless partially wrong. So the mistakes have to be pointed out. A revised approach is presented on the basis of deeper studies of Egyptian phonetization, vocalization and transcription into Greek. The balance of possibility and uncertainty of the revised approach is discussed and compared to Wolfgang Schenkel's well-known statement on Atlantis = "at-lant=s" = "nameless (scil. island)". -- This is a follow-up publication to a Conference paper, published on the Web site Atlantis-Scout.
Teaching Documents by Thorwald C. Franke
Atlantis-Scout, 2024
Scholar Beate Fränzle and her opinion about Solon in Plato: The Atlantis story as true and histor... more Scholar Beate Fränzle and her opinion about Solon in Plato: The Atlantis story as true and historical.
Atlantis-Scout, 2024
Christian Vassallo on Plato, History, Crantor, and Atlantis. After very good beginnings the argum... more Christian Vassallo on Plato, History, Crantor, and Atlantis. After very good beginnings the argument falls into the trap of the invention hypothesis.
Atlantis-Scout, 2024
Does Crantor hint to a revision of Plato's Timaeus? Kilian Fleischer on the famous Proclus passag... more Does Crantor hint to a revision of Plato's Timaeus? Kilian Fleischer on the famous Proclus passage about Crantor and Plato's Atlantis. Discussion of Fleischer's thoughts.
Atlantis-Scout, 2024
Critical review of Julia Annas' second attempt to deal with Plato's political philosophy and the ... more Critical review of Julia Annas' second attempt to deal with Plato's political philosophy and the question of Atlantis in her article "Plato's ideal society and Utopia" from 2021.
Atlantis-Scout, 2023
Heinz-Günther Nesselrath tries to undermine Wilhelm Brandenstein's contributions to Atlantis rese... more Heinz-Günther Nesselrath tries to undermine Wilhelm Brandenstein's contributions to Atlantis research. With an extensive explanation of Brandenstein's argument about fictionality, the literary form, and the late development of the historical novel.
Atlantis-Scout, 2023
Heinz-Günther Nesselrath has once again written a text against my ideas about Plato's Atlantis. I... more Heinz-Günther Nesselrath has once again written a text against my ideas about Plato's Atlantis. It is directed against my Internet article about "The Dark Side of Atlantis Scepticism" from 2021, based on my book about the reception history of Plato's Atlantis story from 2016/2021. - It is e.g. about the question whether there was, or was not, a scientific process which consolidated to Atlantis scepticism in the 1850s, as was claimed by Franz Susemihl.
Atlantis-Scout, 2023
Tom Holland, the popular historian, expressed his opinion about Plato's Atlantis in two episodes ... more Tom Holland, the popular historian, expressed his opinion about Plato's Atlantis in two episodes of the podcast "The Rest Is History". In some remarkable aspects he deviates from the usual opinions of Atlantis sceptics.
Taking Plato's cyclical catastrophism seriously leads to valuable questions around Plato's Atlant... more Taking Plato's cyclical catastrophism seriously leads to valuable questions around Plato's Atlantis. Review of three published articles by George Harvey.
Thorwald C. Franke demonstrates how the 9000 years of Plato's Atlantis in the dialogues Timaeus a... more Thorwald C. Franke demonstrates how the 9000 years of Plato's Atlantis in the dialogues Timaeus and Critias have to be interpreted under a historical-critical perspective, and how this number has been misinterpreted time and again through the ages, until today. (Private Lecture 2018)
153 views
Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis-geschichte-hypothesen.htm - Second edition ... more Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis-geschichte-hypothesen.htm - Second edition now in 2 volumes, with 235 additional authors. 420 additional references to literature have been included. Now there are ca. 1400 source-indicating footnotes, a bibliography with ca. 1000 entries, and an index of persons with ca. 1150 entries. - The history of Atlantis hypotheses now completely revised: * Finally all authors from Antiquity! * Finally a detailed discussion of the authors from Antiquity, doing justice to their statements, with all the secondary literature. * Additionally many until now unknown authors from Antiquity, who clearly allude to Plato's Atlantis without mentioning this explicitly. * For the first time many authors from the Middle Ages! * Many important yet until now unknown authors from the Renaissance until Modernity! Widely spread misconceptions concerning the history of Atlantis reception are rectified! * In Antiquity, Plato's Atlantis was not at all considered predominantly as an invention. * The Middle Ages was not at all silent about Atlantis. * The establishment of academic Atlantis skepticism did not happen until the 19th century and is based on the fiction of an allegedly matured academic theory. * The crazy explosion of localization hypotheses did not start until the end of the 19th century, and clearly not with the discovery of America. * Predominant misconceptions of Atlantis supporters as well as Atlantis skeptics concerning many authors are rectified. * Many pseudo-scientific speculations are rejected. Interesting details are clarified: * At the start and at the end of the Middle Ages, the debate about Plato's Atlantis played an important role in the battle between science and superstition. * The crazy explosion of localization hypotheses and the establishment of academic Atlantis skepticism are closely interrelated. * The alleged connection of National Socialism and Atlantis is meticulously analysed and disproved. * And much more.
Platonische Mythen, 2021
Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/platonische-mythen-platon.htm -- Platonische Mythen ... more Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/platonische-mythen-platon.htm -- Platonische Mythen sind ein seltsames Thema, über das der Leser vielleicht hie und da schon einmal gestolpert sein mag. Seltsam deshalb, weil Platon eigentlich als Begründer des rationalen, philosophischen Denkens gilt. Warum gibt es dann Mythen bei Platon? Seltsam auch deshalb, weil das Thema immer nur am Rande auftaucht und offenbar gemieden wird. Was verbirgt sich hier? Und seltsam auch deshalb, weil diese Platonischen Mythen irgendwie anders sind als die bekannten Mythen der griechischen Mythologie. - Was also sind Platonische Mythen und welchem Zweck dienen sie? Diese Frage soll in diesem Buch ausführlich untersucht und verständlich erklärt werden. Platonische Mythen sind integraler Bestandteil der Philosophie Platons. Sie dürfen keinesfalls nachlässig beiseite geschoben werden. Platonische Mythen sind aber auch kein Hokuspokus. Sie verwischen die Grenze zwischen Rationalität und Mythos nicht. Zahlreiche Irrtümer, die auch in wissenschaftlichen Kreisen im Umlauf sind, werden widerlegt. Ein konsistentes und klares Konzept entwirrt die oft verwirrenden Erklärungen zu Platonische Mythen. - Eine umfangreiche und systematische Übersicht der Platonischen Mythen, jeweils mit einer ausführlichen Analyse, wird im Anhang gegeben. Außerdem im Anhang zahlreiche Besprechungen der Meinungen maßgeblicher wissenschaftlicher Autoren zum Phänomen der Platonischen Mythen.
Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis-geschichte-hypothesen.htm The history o... more Book Web site:
https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis-geschichte-hypothesen.htm
The history of Atlantis hypotheses now completely revised:
* Finally all authors from Antiquity!
* Finally a detailed discussion of the authors from Antiquity, doing justice to their statements, with all the secondary literature.
* Additionally many until now unknown authors from Antiquity, who clearly allude to Plato's Atlantis without mentioning this explicitly.
* For the first time many authors from the Middle Ages!
* Many important yet until now unknown authors from the Renaissance until Modernity!
Widely spread misconceptions concerning the history of Atlantis reception are rectified!
* In Antiquity, Plato's Atlantis was not at all considered predominantly as an invention.
* The Middle Ages was not at all silent about Atlantis.
* The establishment of academic Atlantis skepticism did not happen until the 19th century and is based on the fiction of an allegedly matured academic theory.
* The crazy explosion of localization hypotheses did not start until the end of the 19th century, and clearly not with the discovery of America.
* Predominant misconceptions of Atlantis supporters as well as Atlantis skeptics concerning many authors are rectified.
* Many pseudo-scientific speculations are rejected.
Interesting details are clarified:
* At the start and at the end of the Middle Ages, the debate about Plato's Atlantis played an important role in the battle between science and superstition.
* The crazy explosion of localization hypotheses and the establishment of academic Atlantis skepticism are closely interrelated.
* The alleged connection of National Socialism and Atlantis is meticulously analysed and disproved.
With more than 1000 source-indicating footnotes, a bibliography with more than 550 entries, and an index of persons with ca. 750 entries.
Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis\_aristotle.htm Aristotle considered Plat... more Book Web site:
https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis_aristotle.htm
Aristotle considered Plato’s Atlantis to be an invention; so we read time and again – but is this really true? Until the late 19th century, academia still held the opposite opinion. How did this shift in opinion take place? And was it justified?
Over 100 works from the Atlantis and Aristotle literature, from antiquity to the Renaissance, from the 18th to the 21st century, were examined in order to track down the truth. A scientific adventure regarding Aristotle’s opinion about Atlantis unfolds step by step, starting 200 years ago and reaching into the present.
What did the great philosopher and disciple of Plato really think? All the relevant passages from Aristotle’s works as well as all the steps taken during the literary research are documented in the appendix.
Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis\_syracuse.htm Syracuse was the place whe... more Book Web site:
https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis_syracuse.htm
Syracuse was the place where Plato tried to approach his ideal state in reality - and failed because of the decadence and unjustness of the city and its ruler. Indeed, Syracuse shares many similarities with Plato's Atlantis: Like Atlantis, it was situated on a large and fertile island in the west, a city of abundant wealth and power. As in Atlantis, the ruler's castle and magnificent temples were gathered on a small island. As in Atlantis, there were several harbors, quarries and walls encircling the city. And like Atlantis, Syracuse waged war with Athens.
But what sounds like a hot trail to decipher the enigma of Plato's Atlantis lay forgotten for a long time: As early as 1917, far ahead of his time, Gunnar Rudberg wrote this most coherent scientific analysis. The world did not, however, take notice of a Swedish text. Translated now for the first time, Rudberg's thesis is still a very good read on Plato's Atlantis, presenting not only one of the most credible solutions for Plato's Atlantis, but also offering an introduction to Atlantis research in general; the work confronts today's prevailing hypotheses with valuable criticism. Also included is a remarkable classification scheme of ancient and modern Atlantis hypotheses.
Gunnar Rudberg (1880-1954) was an internationally renowned Swedish classicist, Professor of Classical Philology and Greek Language and Literature at the universities of Oslo and Uppsala. Rudberg’s scientific works had Plato as their focus.
Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis\_aristoteles.htm Aristoteles hielt das A... more Book Web site:
https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis_aristoteles.htm
Aristoteles hielt das Atlantis des Platon für eine Erfindung, so liest man es immer wieder. Doch stimmt das wirklich? Bis zum Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts galt in der Wissenschaft noch die gegenteilige Auffassung. Wie kam es zu diesem Meinungsumschwung? Und war er berechtigt?
Über 100 Werke der Atlantis- und Aristoteles-Literatur, von der Antike bis zur Renaissance, vom 18. bis zum 21. Jahrhundert, wurden untersucht, um der Wahrheit auf die Spur zu kommen. Dabei entfaltet sich Schritt für Schritt ein Wissenschaftskrimi rund um die Meinung des Aristoteles über Atlantis, der vor 200 Jahren begann und bis in die Gegenwart andauert. Was also dachte der große Philosoph und Schüler Platons wirklich?
Alle relevanten Stellen aus den Werken des Aristoteles sowie die Literaturrecherche sind im Anhang komplett dokumentiert.
Book Web site: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis\_herodot.htm Kein anderer antiker Autor ... more Book Web site:
https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis_herodot.htm
Kein anderer antiker Autor war "dichter dran" an Atlantis als Herodot:
Herodot reiste persönlich zum mutmaßlichen Ursprungsort des Atlantis-Berichtes nach Ägypten. Seine Augenzeugenberichte verfasste er in derselben Zeit, in der die Überlieferung des Atlantis-Berichtes von Solon auf Platon womöglich noch in vollem Gange war. In seinem Werk beschreibt Herodot zudem die Geschichte und Geographie der ganzen damals bekannten Welt, in der wir Atlantis finden oder widerlegen müssen.
Damit erweist sich Herodot als eine wahre Fundgrube für die Atlantis-Forschung: Zahllose Informationen und Indizien führen uns zu fundierten Vorstellungen davon, ob Atlantis wirklich ein realer Ort war, und wenn ja, wo es lag und wann es unterging.
Begeben wir uns gemeinsam mit Herodot auf Entdeckungsreise - auf den Spuren von Atlantis!
Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference "The Atlantis Hypothesis" (Atlantis 2008), 10-11 November 2008 Athens/Greece, 2010
The Atlantis Research Charter defines Atlantis research as a science. It defends Atlantis researc... more The Atlantis Research Charter defines Atlantis research as a science. It defends Atlantis research against typical misunderstandings and criticism: Against the pseudo-science of non-scientists, against the dogmatism of established scientists and against the abuse of Plato’s Atlantis for political and other reasons. Everybody is invited to reconsider his view on Plato’s Atlantis and Atlantis research on the basis of this charter and to individually express his own views.
-- Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference "The Atlantis Hypothesis" (Atlantis 2008), 10-11 November 2008 Athens/Greece, Publisher: Heliotopos Conferences / Heliotopos Ltd., Athens 2010; pp. 637-643.
ABSTRACT: In 2006 the first systematic analysis of Herodotus' Histories under the aspect of the A... more ABSTRACT: In 2006 the first systematic analysis of Herodotus' Histories under the aspect of the Atlantis problem has been published (Franke 2006). This paper presents a short overview of the scope and the results of this German-language analysis in English language.
ABSTRACT: The Atlantis Research Charter defines Atlantis research as a science. It defends Atlant... more ABSTRACT: The Atlantis Research Charter defines Atlantis research as a science. It defends Atlantis research against typical misunderstandings and criticism: Against the pseudo-science of non-scientists, against the dogmatism of established scientists and against the abuse of Plato's Atlantis for political and other reasons. Everybody is invited to reconsider his view on Plato's Atlantis and Atlantis research on the basis of this charter and to individually express his own views.
Follow-up publication to a Conference paper, published on the Web site Atlantis-Scout.
ABSTRACT: The argumentation on "Italos = Atlas" presented on the Atlantis Conference 2008, cf. Fr... more ABSTRACT: The argumentation on "Italos = Atlas" presented on the Atlantis Conference 2008, cf. Franke (2008), is on the right track but nevertheless partially wrong. So the mistakes have to be pointed out. A revised approach is presented on the basis of deeper studies of Egyptian phonetization, vocalization and transcription into Greek. The balance of possibility and uncertainty of the revised approach is discussed and compared to Wolfgang Schenkel's well-known statement on Atlantis = "at-lant=s" = "nameless (scil. island)". -- This is a follow-up publication to a Conference paper, published on the Web site Atlantis-Scout.
Atlantis-Scout, 2024
Scholar Beate Fränzle and her opinion about Solon in Plato: The Atlantis story as true and histor... more Scholar Beate Fränzle and her opinion about Solon in Plato: The Atlantis story as true and historical.
Atlantis-Scout, 2024
Christian Vassallo on Plato, History, Crantor, and Atlantis. After very good beginnings the argum... more Christian Vassallo on Plato, History, Crantor, and Atlantis. After very good beginnings the argument falls into the trap of the invention hypothesis.
Atlantis-Scout, 2024
Does Crantor hint to a revision of Plato's Timaeus? Kilian Fleischer on the famous Proclus passag... more Does Crantor hint to a revision of Plato's Timaeus? Kilian Fleischer on the famous Proclus passage about Crantor and Plato's Atlantis. Discussion of Fleischer's thoughts.
Atlantis-Scout, 2024
Critical review of Julia Annas' second attempt to deal with Plato's political philosophy and the ... more Critical review of Julia Annas' second attempt to deal with Plato's political philosophy and the question of Atlantis in her article "Plato's ideal society and Utopia" from 2021.
Atlantis-Scout, 2023
Heinz-Günther Nesselrath tries to undermine Wilhelm Brandenstein's contributions to Atlantis rese... more Heinz-Günther Nesselrath tries to undermine Wilhelm Brandenstein's contributions to Atlantis research. With an extensive explanation of Brandenstein's argument about fictionality, the literary form, and the late development of the historical novel.
Atlantis-Scout, 2023
Heinz-Günther Nesselrath has once again written a text against my ideas about Plato's Atlantis. I... more Heinz-Günther Nesselrath has once again written a text against my ideas about Plato's Atlantis. It is directed against my Internet article about "The Dark Side of Atlantis Scepticism" from 2021, based on my book about the reception history of Plato's Atlantis story from 2016/2021. - It is e.g. about the question whether there was, or was not, a scientific process which consolidated to Atlantis scepticism in the 1850s, as was claimed by Franz Susemihl.
Atlantis-Scout, 2023
Tom Holland, the popular historian, expressed his opinion about Plato's Atlantis in two episodes ... more Tom Holland, the popular historian, expressed his opinion about Plato's Atlantis in two episodes of the podcast "The Rest Is History". In some remarkable aspects he deviates from the usual opinions of Atlantis sceptics.
Taking Plato's cyclical catastrophism seriously leads to valuable questions around Plato's Atlant... more Taking Plato's cyclical catastrophism seriously leads to valuable questions around Plato's Atlantis. Review of three published articles by George Harvey.
Atlantis-Scout, 2023
Ian C. Rutherford and Greco-Egyptian Literature - Challenging the "orthodox view" on Plato's Atla... more Ian C. Rutherford and Greco-Egyptian Literature - Challenging the "orthodox view" on Plato's Atlantis story.
Atlantis, Crete and Labyrinths: Italian archaeologist Massimo Cultraro sees a connection drawn by... more Atlantis, Crete and Labyrinths: Italian archaeologist Massimo Cultraro sees a connection drawn by Diodorus Siculus and unfolded through the ages. See my critical review.
Prof Carolina López-Ruiz of the Ohio State University published a book chapter about Plato's Atla... more Prof Carolina López-Ruiz of the Ohio State University published a book chapter about Plato's Atlantis. By relying on the state-of-the-art literature on the subject, many mistakes got included in the chapter.
Atlantis-Scout, 2021
A critical commentary on Feder's book "Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries".
Atlantis-Scout, 2021
In our days, the interpretation of Platoʼs Atlantis story as an invention of Plato is prevailing ... more In our days, the interpretation of Platoʼs Atlantis story as an invention of Plato is prevailing in academic scholarship. Atlantis scepticism is the choice of the bright side of life, so to say. Closely connected to the good feeling of being on the bright side is the depiction of Atlantis belief as dark and dangerous. Atlantis believers are considered crazy, and they even contributed to evil events in history: Wasnʼt there, at the transition from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, this strange Christian called Cosmas Indicopleustes who was a flat earther and who believed that the Atlantis story was a rewriting of the Bible? And didnʼt the Spanish Empire justify the conquest of America with Atlantis? And finally the Nazis, who saw in Atlantis the lost racially pure homeland of the Aryans, or? -- But there is another side of the story. There is a dark side of Atlantis scepticism about which no one has told you. Until now.
Atlantis-Scout, 2021
Review of the TV docu "The Search for Atlantis: The True Story".
Atlantis-Scout, 2021
Professor Heinz-Günther Nesselrath delivered a talk about two "Atlantologists" at the University ... more Professor Heinz-Günther Nesselrath delivered a talk about two "Atlantologists" at the University of Bologna in Italy in April 2017. One of those two was me, Thorwald C. Franke. Unfortunately, I find my own ideas surprisingly misrepresented in Nesselrath's talk. Therefore, I have to undergo the cumbersome effort of clearing up the mistakes one by one. PS: Answer to the answer by HG Nesselrath.
Atlantis-Scout, 2021
Commentary on this article. Pointing out mistakes and problems.
Atlantis-Scout, 2020
Julia Annas is an internationally renowned Plato researcher who also published about Platonic Myt... more Julia Annas is an internationally renowned Plato researcher who also published about Platonic Myths. In her 2011 article about Plato's Atlantis story she rightly points out that Atlantis is not what Plato aimed for. Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias are rather about virtue as a value in itself, not as a means to achieve anything else, neither wealth nor glory, and about the orientation of the virtuous mind considering the eternal order of the cosmos. And about the ideal state ruled by virtuous men and women, of course. Nevertheless, Julia Annas is wrong in her opinions about Atlantis. This shall be demonstrated in the following. The deeper reaons will be discussed in the conclusion. Find the full text here: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis-julia-annas-engl.htm
Atlantis-Scout, 2020
My Arguments – and what is really behind this strange debate. In 2017/2019 a small debate about t... more My Arguments – and what is really behind this strange debate. In 2017/2019 a small debate about the authenticity of the dialogue Critias flared up. Marwan Rashed and Thomas Auffret from the Université de Paris-Sorbonne, Département de Philosophie, argue that there allegedly are discrepancies between the dialogues Timaeus and Critias which would indicate that the Critias is not from Plato. Harold Tarrant has turned against this hypothesis. Find full text here: https://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis-authenticity-critias-engl.htm
Besprechung der Bemerkungen von Prof. Heinz-Günther Nesselrath zur 1. Auflage von "Kritische Gesc... more Besprechung der Bemerkungen von Prof. Heinz-Günther Nesselrath zur 1. Auflage von "Kritische Geschichte der Meinungen und Hypothesen zu Platons Atlantis", Thorwald C. Franke Juli 2018.
Bibliographische Angaben:
Heinz-Günther Nesselrath, Atlantis nach Platon – Bemerkungen zu einer neuen Rezeptionsgeschichte der von Platon erfundenen Insel, in: Jahresheft des Vereins der Göttinger Freunde der antiken Literatur Nr. 16 / 2017; S. 12-24.
Thorwald C. Franke, Kritische Geschichte der Meinungen und Hypothesen zu Platons Atlantis – Von der Antike über das Mittelalter bis zur Moderne, 1. Auflage, Verlag Books-on-Demand, Norderstedt 2016.
A certain part of a scholar's life is dedicated to "ghost busting", i.e. to debunk wrong concepts... more A certain part of a scholar's life is dedicated to "ghost busting", i.e. to debunk wrong concepts existing out there, in the coarse reality of popular books, colourful magazines, and the vastness of the internet, and to provide the basis for a better understanding of reality at an academic level to all who are interested. This had been the basic idea of this book, possibly. And who would not support such a noble purpose? But you can exaggerate everything by going to the other extreme.
https://www.atlantis-scout.de/kershaw-brief-history-atlantis-review-engl.htm
Independent, 2022
Why don't we do something about the obtrusive masculinity of the English language? Why are there ... more Why don't we do something about the obtrusive masculinity of the English language? Why are there double standards in gender-sensitive language in English and in German.
Electronic Commerce and Web …, Jan 1, 2001
The modern society depends on the provision and distribution of information. We observe the devel... more The modern society depends on the provision and distribution of information. We observe the development of world-wide information markets. Traders play an important role in these markets, as they bring together supply and demand. In this paper, we describe a simulation study about mechanisms and rules in information markets under special consideration of the role of traders. The usefulness of simulation for market analysis is shown in selected experiments.
Atlantis-Scout, 2024
The book Solon’s Atlantis by Johan S. Ellefsen from 2023 is promising: finally another author wh... more The book Solon’s Atlantis by Johan S. Ellefsen from 2023 is promising: finally another author who takes Plato seriously and searches for an Egyptian source for the Atlantis story. The author has read deeply into the scientific literature. He substantiates everything and is reasonably consistent in his bibliography. He gives references to ancient texts and explains his arguments with original quotations. Where necessary, the author also includes original texts in ancient Greek, Egyptian or other languages. The whole book makes a very professional impression. In short, one can really expect a significant gain in knowledge on the subject of Atlantis from such an author. Even if the overall thesis is wrong, there may still be interesting partial theses.
Unfortunately, however, Ellefsen largely disappoints. The main reason must be seen in the fact that Ellefsen has consistently not dared to question the scientific authorities and their opinions and to put forward his own theses. To a certain extent, Ellefsen slavishly adheres to numerous theses that are typical of the representatives of the prevailing invention hypothesis in order to build an existence hypothesis on this basis. Moreover, Ellefsen ends up being too willing to accept weak analogies as evidence that an element of the Atlantis story comes from here or there, as we unfortunately see far too often with many Atlantis hypotheses – be they existence or invention hypotheses.
Atlantis-Scout, 2023
Critical review of Kurlander's "Hitler's Monsters".
Atlantis-Scout, 2023
Review of: Apocalypse and Golden Age – The End of the World in Greek and Roman Thought, by Christ... more Review of: Apocalypse and Golden Age – The End of the World in Greek and Roman Thought, by Christopher Star 2021.
Review by: Thorwald C. Franke, Atlantis Newsletter No. 209 (15 January 2023).
The Atlantis Encyclopedia was published by Frank Joseph in 2005, and since then it has spread a l... more The Atlantis Encyclopedia was published by Frank Joseph in 2005, and since then it has spread a lot of nonsense and confusion among all who are interested in Plato's Atlantis.
Kritische Geschichte der Meinungen und Hypothesen zu Platons Atlantis, Band 2, 2021
Review of Irmgard Männlein-Robert's dissertation about Longinus (1999/2000), under the perspectiv... more Review of Irmgard Männlein-Robert's dissertation about Longinus (1999/2000), under the perspective of the interpretation of Plato's Atlantis, by Thorwald C. Franke 2021.
Atlantis-Scout, 2020
Review of: Olshin - Lost Knowledge (2019); with focus on Plato's Atlantis
Atlantis-Scout, 2020
Review of: Paul Veyne, Did the Greeks believe in their myths? -- Does Paul Veyne actually believe... more Review of: Paul Veyne, Did the Greeks believe in their myths? -- Does Paul Veyne actually believe in his own myths? Postmodern hardcore ideology instead of instructive research on myths.