TIMAEUS IBD

Sinopse

Timaeus is one ofáPlatoâÇÖs dialogues and a philosophy classic, mostly in the form of long monologues given byáCritiasáandáTimaeus, writtenác.á360 BC. The work puts forward reasoning on the possible nature of the physical world and human beings and is followed by the dialogueáCritias.Participants in theádialogueáincludeáSocrates, Timaeus,áHermocrates, and Critias. Some scholars believe that it is not the Critias of theáThirty Tyrantsáwho appears in this dialogue, but his grandfather, who is also named Critias.áIt has been suggested from some traditions (Diogenes Laertiusá(VIII 85) fromáHermippus of Smyrnaá(3rd century BC) andáTimon of Phliusá(c.á320 -ác.á235 BC) thatáTimaeusáwas influenced by a book aboutáPythagoras, written byáPhilolaus, although this assertion is generally considered false.The dialogue takes place the day after Socrates described his ideal state. In PlatoâÇÖs works, such a discussion occurs in theáRepublic. Socrates feels that his description of the ideal state wasnâÇÖt sufficient for the purposes of entertainment and that 'I would be glad to hear some account of it engaging in transactions with other states' (19b).Hermocrates wishes to oblige Socrates and mentions that Critias knows just the account (20b) to do so. Critias proceeds to tell the story ofáSolonâÇÖs journey to Egypt where he hears the story ofáAtlantis, and how Athens used to be an ideal state that subsequently waged war against Atlantis (25a). Critias believes that he is getting ahead of himself, and mentions that Timaeus will tell part of the account from the origin of theáuniverseáto man.