Plato's Natural Philosophy: A Study of the Timaeus-Critias

by Thomas Kjeller Johansen

Overview

The Timaeus-Critias is concerned with cosmology and Plato's claim that its central task is to articulate the way in which the cosmos manifests the values of goodness and beauty. This book examines this important dialogue in its entirety using current methods of Platonic scholarship. Arguing that Aristotle's physics is far closer to the Timaeus than usually realized, the study's other prominent findings reinforce the dialogue's essentially moral message, and clarify its literary character.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521067485
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/26/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	228
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Dr Thomas Kjeller Johansen is Reader in Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of Aristotle on the Sense-Organs (0521 583381).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; Introduction: Plato's tales of teleology; 1. What is the Timaeus-Critias about?; 2. The status of the Atlantis story; 3. The status of Timaeus' account; 4. Teleology and craftsmanship; 5. Necessity and teleology; 6. Space and motion; 7. Body, soul and tripartition; 8. Perception and cosmology; 9. Dialogue and dialectic; Epilogue; Bibliography; General index; Index locorum.

Editorial Reviews

"...lucid and carefully reasoned..."
-Lloyd P. Gerson, University of Toronto

"The authors detailed analyses of the role of necessary conditions, matter, and space in explanations of the nature of sensible particulars, of the soul as structure and embodied existence, and of the casual role of perception in securing empirical knowledge are convincing. Highly recommended."
-CHOICE

"[T]his monograph as a whole is plainly a major contribution to the study of the Timaeus, and will undoubtedly enhance the appreciation of that unduly neglected work."
-John Dillon, School of Classics, Trinity College, Ireland, Ancient Philosophy

From the Publisher