'The god wanted everything to be good, marred by as little imperfection as possible.' Timaeus, one of Plato's acknowledged masterpieces, is an attempt to construct the universe and explain its contents by means of as few axioms as possible. The result is a brilliant, bizarre, and surreal cosmos - the product of the rational thinking of a creator god and his astral assistants, and of purely mechanistic causes based on the behaviour of the four elements. At times dazzlingly clear, at times intriguingly opaque, this was state-of-the-art science in the middle of the fourth century BC. The world is presented as a battlefield of forces that are unified only by the will of God, who had to do the best he could with recalcitrant building materials. The unfinished companion piece, Critias, is the foundational text for the story of Atlantis. It tells how a model society became corrupt, and how a lost race of Athenians defeated the aggression of the invading Atlanteans. This new edition combines the clearest translation yet of these crucial ancient texts with an illuminating introduction and diagrams. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Timaeus and Critias
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Plato (c. 427–347 b.c.) founded the Academy in Athens, the prototype of all Western universities, and wrote more than twenty philosophical dialogues.
Thomas Kjeller Johansen studied philosophy and classics at Trinity College, Cambridge. He is now University Lecturer in Ancient Philosophy at Oxford University and Tutorial Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford. His publications include Plato’s Natural Philosophy. A Study of the Timaeus-Critias (Cambridge 2004).
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Dave
Format:Paperback
This is my first exposure to Plato and I was pleasantly surprised. If like me, you were forced to study Shakespeare at school (rather than discover it for yourself in later life) it probably turned you off the idea of reading something by an ancient Greek philosopher. However, this modern translation is surprisingly down to Earth. Basically, the Timaeus and Critias are a couple a conversations between a few friends pondering on the origins of life the universe and the ancient Greek nation. Timaeus was finished (but still fairly short) and mentions Atlantis briefly. Critias was never finished (as far as we know) and describes Atlantis is considerable detail. Both were fun to read and I couldn't help looking at my Atlas trying to pinpoint where Atlantis may have been. An easy and fun, easy and exciting read for anyone wishing to "get into" Plato. Highly recommended.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this like most other people to read about the Atlantis myth and for anyone interested in either the myth or Plato's natural philosophy this is an important work.
The Criteas is a short fragment of a dialogue where the Atlantis myth originates. He puts the story in a historical context by talking of the discoveries made by Solon on his travels in Egypt, but it is not clear if it is allegorical or that this is a real history. Most of the story is a description of the Island and then an account of their conflict with other peoples and final destruction and fall. The story ends abruptly and we do not see the final moral of the story because the rest of the dialogue is lost.
The Timaeus is Plato's work on natural sciences. He was not an experimentalist and so his theories are based on theory and observation. There is the discussion of the elemental particles, which would come to be known as the Platonic solids as well as some view on medicine and health. For Plato the metaphysical laws of philosophy are well established, whereas natural philosophy is difficult. This is perhaps the opposite to the view we would have today.
The Criteas is a short fragment of a dialogue where the Atlantis myth originates. He puts the story in a historical context by talking of the discoveries made by Solon on his travels in Egypt, but it is not clear if it is allegorical or that this is a real history. Most of the story is a description of the Island and then an account of their conflict with other peoples and final destruction and fall. The story ends abruptly and we do not see the final moral of the story because the rest of the dialogue is lost.
The Timaeus is Plato's work on natural sciences. He was not an experimentalist and so his theories are based on theory and observation. There is the discussion of the elemental particles, which would come to be known as the Platonic solids as well as some view on medicine and health. For Plato the metaphysical laws of philosophy are well established, whereas natural philosophy is difficult. This is perhaps the opposite to the view we would have today.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Gordon
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I finally got round to reading Timaeus and now appreciate where Arthur North Whitehead got the inspiration to collate his 1930's Gifford Lectures into his book, 'Process and Reality'. The theme of an Organic Philosophy comes out right from the earliest parts of Timaeus.
I was mildly irritated by the translator's disparaging comment about the neo-platonists, since the Process comunity has its origins in neo-platonism, obviously with a modern world view both in science and theology. Other than that, I can definitely recomend this book.
I was mildly irritated by the translator's disparaging comment about the neo-platonists, since the Process comunity has its origins in neo-platonism, obviously with a modern world view both in science and theology. Other than that, I can definitely recomend this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not very exciting or engaging.
Timaeus is quite laborious. Critias is unfinished. Critias would have been the better text, if it were finished. Read more
Published 20 months ago by @garethalteran
5.0 out of 5 stars
great
Not like new. It was new and came with a note, making this online shopping more humane. Thanks a lot!
Published on 23 Jan 2011 by selin
5.0 out of 5 stars
dream
this book cane to me in a dream and is about to change my life!!!
Published on 29 Mar 2010 by Evgeniya Emets
3.0 out of 5 stars
Everything you always wanted to know about Atlantis...
If you are planning to read any other books on Atlantis, and think you might get involved in discussions on the subject, this is the book to read first. Read more
Published on 27 April 2001
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