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The Atlantis Blueprint: Unlocking the Ancient Mysteries of a Long Lost Civilization, by Colin Wilson and Rand Flem-Ath Reviewed by Dr. Jonathan Dolhenty Click here to order: The Atlantis Blueprint: Unlocking the Ancient Mysteries of a Long-Lost Civilization, by Colin Wilson and Rand Flem-Ath I think there are at least three points that readers need to keep in mind as they approach a reading of "The Atlantis Blueprint." The first point is the distinction between ordinary or "mere" speculation, a leisurely activity we all engage in during our daily lives and which is seldom critically examined, and serious or "scientific" speculation, a formal activity involving critical examination related to an important topic and based on objective evidence. The second point is the distinction to be made between a singular "piece" of evidence, which can always be seriously challenged, and a related "web" of evidence, which is more difficult to challenge and will always raise the level of probability or certitude. The third point to keep in mind is that many hypotheses and theories proposed in the past have been rejected and considered untrue or impossible, only to be accepted later as conventional doctrine. In other words, science marches on, as do historical research, philosophical analysis, and other serious disciplines. In "The Atlantis Blueprint," Colin Wilson and Rand Flem-Ath confront and attempt to solve one of the most fascinating mysteries of world history: was there an ancient civilization, an advanced technological culture, a precursor to the early societies about which we have written knowledge, and which was subsequently destroyed by some catastrophic earthly event? Furthermore, if such a civilization did exist, where was it located then and where are its vestiges now? For many, this ancient civilization was Atlantis, first described over two millennia ago by the philosopher Plato in two of his dialogues. Considered merely a legend by most contemporary scientists and historians, the existence of Atlantis or some similar advanced precursor civilization has rarely been the subject of serious scholarship. Wilson and Flem-Ath may have changed that by offering a critical work which presents a serious challenge to conventional thinking and raises numerous issues which deserve a response from the scientific and historical communities. This book is certainly not a matter of "mere" speculation; it is a critical examination of the objective facts currently available and is, therefore, serious scientific speculation. Also, the book presents a "web" of related evidence, not merely singular and disjoined "pieces" of evidence which can easily be cast aside and ignored. What is presented is a mosaic of evidence, both emperic and rational, blended and unified to support their main thesis that an advanced technological culture may have existed in ancient times and that it may have been located on the continent of Antarctica. A wild theory based on an old legend presented by an ancient Greek philosopher? Consider, for a moment, the city of Troy. Conventional wisdom had maintained for centuries that Troy, discussed in Homer's great work the "Iliad," was a figment of Greek legend and few scholars took its possible existence as a serious matter. And, then, along comes a German archaelogist named Schliemann, who in 1870 defies conventional wisdom and excavates the city of Troy. For many years, I been bothered by the fact that Western history generally begins with the Sumerians. Here we are presented with a highly-evolved ancient civilization, yet we seem to have no idea what led to its specific development, that is, there seems to be no "evolving" culture prior to Sumer which explains its own being. It's almost as if Sumer just "popped" into existence with its culture intact and completed. This is very difficult to accept. The idea of a precursor civilization such as that proposed by Wilson and Flem-Ath, whether or not one wishes to call it Atlantis, seems to be required. The questions with which "The Atlantis Blueprint" wrestles are many and intriguing. Did a maritime society such as Atlantis really exist and was able to sail around the globe influencing and, possibly, dominating other societies? Is Atlantis the civilization that provided the technological know-how for building the pyramids in Egypt, Machu Picchu in the Americas, Stonehedge in England, the statues of Easter Island, and other important monuments all over the world? And how does one explain the similarities which exist among many of the languages in various regions of the world, regions which conventional wisdom has maintained never had any contact with one another? And what about the ancient maps which have been discovered, maps which show features the ancients are not supposed to have known about? Furthermore, how does one explain the so-called "sacred sites" which we know exist around the world and which appear to have so much in common? These questions and many others are tackled by the authors. It is true at this time that the existence of an ancient sophisticated precursor civilization, whether or not it is called Atlantis, has not been proven conclusively. It is true that if such a society did exist in the past, we do not conclusively know its location then or now. But an important step forward in this fascinating investigation of our cultural ancestry has been taken by Colin Wilson and Rand Flem-Ath. "The Atlantis Blueprint" needs to be taken as a serious work of critically-examined speculation, a presentation of a well-researched web of evidence, and an exciting challenge to the conventional wisdom of our time. Whether one considers the existence of Atlantis and its location on Antarctica an initial hypothesis or a persuasive theory, an ancient legend or a literary myth, a mere possibility or a strong probability, we cannot dismiss the importance of the investigation. The authors have performed an invaluable service and, in my opinion, this book is worthy of a place in everyone's personal library. You may order this book by clicking HERE. Enrich your life with a book about politics and current events... Enrich your political & social life with a politics or news magazine... |
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