Plato's Natural Philosophy: A Study of the Timaeus-Critias
Author(s): Thomas Kjeller Johansen (Author)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication Date: 1 July 2004
Edition: Illustrated
Language: English
Print length: 228 pages
ISBN-10: 0521790670
ISBN-13: 9780521790673
Book Description
Plato’s dialogue the Timaeus-Critias presents two connected accounts, that of the story of Atlantis and its defeat by ancient Athens and that of the creation of the cosmos by a divine craftsman. This book offers a unified reading of the dialogue. It tackles a wide range of interpretative and philosophical issues. Topics discussed include the function of the famous Atlantis story, the notion of cosmology as ‘myth’ and as ‘likely’, and the role of God in Platonic cosmology. Other areas commented upon are Plato’s concepts of ‘necessity’ and ‘teleology’, the nature of the ‘receptacle’, the relationship between the soul and the body, the use of perception in cosmology, and the work’s peculiar monologue form. The unifying theme is teleology: Plato’s attempt to show the cosmos to be organised for the good. A central lesson which emerges is that the Timaeus is closer to Aristotle’s physics than previously thought.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Review of the hardback: ‘If I were going to recommend to someone who had just read Timaeus one philosophical monograph on this work I cannot think of a better choice than Johansen’s … Traditional in its exegetical approach, yet properly critical of giants of the past like Taylor and Cornford, Plato’s Natural Philosophy is a solid contribution to what is evidently a renaissance of interest in what is surely one of Plato’s major works.’ Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Review of the hardback: ‘Johansen’s book is a remarkable achievement. The presentation of the arguments is consistently clear and crisp, and interim conclusions make the work user-friendly. The result is a philosophically inspired and engaging book suitable equally for those who are struggling their way through the Timaeus for the first time and for those who are already saturated with the ever-growing scholarly literature.’ Rhizai
Review of the hardback: ‘This valuable work of scholarship, brimming with careful textual exegesis and original philosophical interpretation … succeeds admirably … infused by the spirit of the dialogue it explores.’ The Classical Review
Review of the hardback: ‘Johansen’s book sets out many independently stimulating problems and individually motivated answers. However, as Johansen argues for both the dialogue and the cosmos he discusses, it is best appreciated when viewed as a finely constructed whole.’ Journal of Hellenic Studies
Book Description
Examines the unifying teleological theme in Plato’s dialogue the Timaeus-Critias.
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).
Wow! eBook
