Reason and Necessity: Essays on Plato's Timaeus

by M. R. Wright (Editor)

Overview

Plato's Timaeus contains a powerful and influential myth, of the construction of the universe by a divine craftsman. A god imposes reason on necessity, to bring order from a primeval 'receptacle' of disordered matter. There results the 'child' that is the cosmos - a copy of an eternally-existing perfect model. Here eight new essays from a distinguished international cast, explore aspects of this challenging work: the principles of the mythical narrative, how the world soul and human body are formed, implications for illness - mental and physical, the importance of music and harmonious proportion. Later developments are also treated: Aristotle's theory of generation, the commentary of Proclus and elements of modern evolutionary theory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781914535253
Publisher:	Classical Press of Wales, The
Publication date:	11/01/2023
Series:	Athens
Pages:	191
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

M.R. Wright has published numerous papers on ancient philosophy. Her principal books are Empedocles: the Extant Fragments; Cicero: On Stoic Good and Evil; and Cosmology in Antiquity.

Table of Contents

Preface Introduction Outline of topics in Plato's Timaeus xvi 1. Myth, science and reason in the Timaeus - M.R. Wright 2. How to build a world soul: a practical guide - Sergio Zedda 3. How to build a human body: an idealist's guide - Scott Burgess 4. The body's fault? Plato's Timaeus on psychic illness - Christopher Gill 5. Timaeus on music and the liver - Andrew Barker 6. Aristotle's understanding of Plato's Receptacle - Lesley Dean-Jones 7. Proclus on demiurgy and procession in the Timaeus - Jan Opsomer 8. Zoogony and evolution in Plato's Timaeus, the Presocratics, Lucretius and Darwin -Gordon Campbell Bibliography of main editions Index locorum General index