Christopher Gill on Plato’s Atlantis

In this episode of the SHWEP podcast, Earl Fontainelle interviews Professor Christopher Gill about Plato's Atlantis story. They discuss the story's origins in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, its structure, and its significance within Plato's broader philosophical framework. The discussion covers the dialogues' context, the characters involved, and the contrasting portrayals of primeval Athens and Atlantis, exploring themes of ideal states, historical transmission, and the potential for societal corruption. They also touch on some of the mysteries and interpretative challenges presented by the text, such as the missing fourth participant in the dialogue and the recurring motif of catastrophic destruction.