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.

Timaeus and Critias is a Socratic dialogue in two parts. A response to an account of an ideal state told by Socrates, it begins with Timaeus s theoretical exposition of the cosmos and his story describing the creation of the universe, from its very beginning to the coming of man. Timaeus introduces the idea of a creator God and speculates on the structure and composition of the physical world. Critias, the second part of Plato s dialogue, comprises an account of the rise and fall of Atlantis, an ancient, mighty and prosperous empire ruled by the descendents of Poseidon, which ultimately sank...

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.