Timaeus
Quick Summary
The Timaeus is a dialogue by Plato that explores cosmology. In it, Plato introduces the concept of the Demiurge, a divine craftsman who shapes the physical world. The Demiurge takes pre-existing chaotic materials and arranges them according to eternal Forms, which are perfect, unchanging archetypes accessible only to the mind. This dialogue is part of Plato's later works, where he delves deeper into his metaphysical theories, building upon the ideas of his teacher, Socrates. The Timaeus also touches upon mathematical principles and the structure of the universe.12345
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Western philosophyPhilosophyIn the Timaeus, Plato tried to construct a complete system of physics, partly employing Pythagorean ideas.
Read MoreIn the Timaeus, Plato tried to construct a complete system of physics, partly employing Pythagorean ideas.
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dualismGreece and the Hellenistic worldIn the Timaeus he considers the cosmos as a single harmony, which for the sake of completeness requires the existence of inferior levels that are bound not only to matter but also to Necessity (the realm of things that could not have been otherwise and that are…
Read MoreIn the Timaeus he considers the cosmos as a single harmony, which for the sake of completeness requires the existence of inferior levels that are bound not only to matter but also to Necessity (the realm of things that could not have been otherwise and that are…
Read More
fable, parable, and allegoryThe Greeks…terms of myth in his Timaeus. Plato and Platonic thought became, through the influence of this and other texts on Plotinus (died 269/270) and through him on Porphyry (died c. 304), a pagan mainstay of later Christian allegory. Medieval translations of Dionysius the Areopagite (before 6th century ad) were equally…
Read More…terms of myth in his Timaeus. Plato and Platonic thought became, through the influence of this and other texts on Plotinus (died 269/270) and through him on Porphyry (died c. 304), a pagan mainstay of later Christian allegory. Medieval translations of Dionysius the Areopagite (before 6th century ad) were equally…
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MithraismMythology and theology…demiurge, or creator, of the Timaeus: he was called “demiurge and father of all things,” like the Platonic demiurge. The four elements, the mixing bowl, the creation of time, and the attack of the wicked animals upon the newborn creature are well-known features of the Timaeus. The Mithraic doctrine of…
Read More…demiurge, or creator, of the Timaeus: he was called “demiurge and father of all things,” like the Platonic demiurge. The four elements, the mixing bowl, the creation of time, and the attack of the wicked animals upon the newborn creature are well-known features of the Timaeus. The Mithraic doctrine of…
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timeOne-way view of time in the philosophy of historyPlato, in the Timaeus, conceived of God as being a nonomnipotent shaper and thus accounted for the manifest element of evil in phenomena. Marcion, a 2nd-century Christian heretic, inferred from the evil in phenomena that the creator was bad and held that a “stranger god” had come to…
Read MorePlato, in the Timaeus, conceived of God as being a nonomnipotent shaper and thus accounted for the manifest element of evil in phenomena. Marcion, a 2nd-century Christian heretic, inferred from the evil in phenomena that the creator was bad and held that a “stranger god” had come to…
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pantheismGreco-Roman doctrinesIn the Timaeus an absolute and eternal God was recognized, existing in changeless perfection in relation to the world of forms, along with a World-Soul, which contained and animated the world and was as divine as a changing thing could be. Although the material can be variously…
Read MoreIn the Timaeus an absolute and eternal God was recognized, existing in changeless perfection in relation to the world of forms, along with a World-Soul, which contained and animated the world and was as divine as a changing thing could be. Although the material can be variously…
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mystery religionPlatonistsIn the Timaeus, which is an exposition of his theory of the universe, Plato also developed his theory of the soul. The earth is surrounded by the spheres of the seven planets; the eighth sphere is that of the fixed stars. Beyond the eighth sphere is the…
Read MoreIn the Timaeus, which is an exposition of his theory of the universe, Plato also developed his theory of the soul. The earth is surrounded by the spheres of the seven planets; the eighth sphere is that of the fixed stars. Beyond the eighth sphere is the…
Read More