The Great Library of Alexandria – Part One
The latest video on the History for Atheists video channel is Part One of a two-part episode on the Great Library of Alexandria. What was the Great Library and why does it feature in some anti-religious rhetoric? In this first part we will examine some of the misconceptions about the Great Library, look at what it was and – more importantly – what it was not.
And in the upcoming second part, we will explore how the Great Library came to an end and the enduring myth that it was burned down by a Christian mob.
And for those who prefer an audio version, the Podcast edition is now available for download or you can listen to it from the History for Atheists podcast page.
6 thoughts on “The Great Library of Alexandria – Part One”
Good vid. New Atheism is neither.
New Atheism is “new” in the sense of “the latest in a succession”. And I have no idea why you claim it’s not “atheism”. It clearly is.
New Atheists universally, unequivocally embrace the Big Bang myth of the Universe’s origin; as such they are creationists, and by implication either Theists or Deists.
Neither are they “new.” Pseudo-atheism has a venerable pedigree.
Again, “new’ here means “the latest in a succession”, not “wholly novel”. So it acknowledges that pedigree. But your first claim is absurd. Accepting the scientific consensus that the universe seems to have had a beginning in (our) time (or rather, that our time and space had a beginning) does not require some intelligence or being as that beginning’s origin. Don’t post stupid theist arguments here, or you’ll be heading straight to the kill file.
Great work! The video production is impressive.
It’s amazing so many intellectuals continue to repeat these myths. But I suppose they’re just human. A certain interpretation of history matches their worldview and they run with it.
This is why free speech and robust discourse are so important.
Hi Tim, a catholic typing from Italy. I discovered your site through Reddit some months ago, and as a lover of history I appreciated it since the first moment.
I’m scandalized about the ignorance of the most of people about Catholic Church/christian history, and about the lots of myths surrounding it, often impossible to defeat in a conversation. I’m very annoyed for that.
I don’t want to appear like a catholic apologist, my first interest is to clean history from misconceptions and myths, but i recognise to be involved also because I’m tired of deviating on those themes everytime my religion or some arguments related to it comes in a debate with someone (and they don’t have nothing in common with them, it’s just a way to disqualify my position), and I’m tired of explaining these people where is history and where is the myth.
I hope your works may be useful to really inform, because knowledge is the key to understand the world and people.