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Timaeus Kindle Edition

by Plato (Author), Benjamin Jowett (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 173 ratings
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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
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  1. Print length
    91 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    May 12, 2012
  5. File size
    259 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0082T0RO0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (May 12, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 12, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 259 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 91 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1500405183
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 173 ratings

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
173 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ian S
5.0 out of 5 stars Wait, Plato knows about the Americas?!???
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2020
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I had never actually read the dialogues and I was amazed to find clear references to the American continent relayed by Plato from Egyptian sources. On top of that the source of the above reference knows all about comets and meteors being celestial bodies in orbit, as described in the analysis of the Phaeton mythos, not fireballs sent by vengeful gods, he apparently knows about the sea level being hundreds of feet lower in the ice age, and that all the continents were more or less connected by land bridges at the time. I was stunned that all these things were apparently known thousands of years ago even though they were not common knowledge into the 1800s. They way these references check out with modern scientific sources like the Greenland ice cores have made me reconsider the plausibility of Atlantis, and whereas I thought it was nothing but allegory or fiction before, I have come away thinking there is a non-trivial chance that Atlantis was a real Pliocene sea-faring civilization.
4 people found this helpful
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Liam Boyle
5.0 out of 5 stars A wild ride through primitive science
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2020
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If you think you know Plato, think again. The Timaeus is unlike any of the other dialogues. In fact, it is hardly a dialogue at all since Timaeus speaks without interruption for most of it. This book is best seen as a compendium of scientific theories from two and a half thousand years ago, starting with cosmology and proceeding to mechanics, optics, chemistry, medicine, and so on. Plato makes it clear that he is telling “a likely story” that may not be fully accurate. Actually, it’s pretty primitive, but fascinating nonetheless. Be prepared for a wild ride.
2 people found this helpful
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Karl Janssen
4.0 out of 5 stars Plato's theory of everything
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2017
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This review pertains to the public domain version of Timaeus that is given away as a free ebook by Amazon and Project Gutenberg. The English translation of this edition was done by Benjamin Jowett in the late 19th century. The very first sentence of the introduction states, “Of all the writings of Plato the Timaeus is the most obscure and repulsive to the modern reader.” How’s that for an inauspicious beginning? Jowett then goes onto explain that the reason this dialogue gets little attention and respect is because it is concerned not so much with philosophical discourse as it is with the natural sciences. Not surprisingly, since Plato wrote the work around 360 BC, few if any of his scientific speculations have stood the test of time. Nevertheless, the Timaeus has value for its detailed illumination of Plato’s physical and metaphysical views on the nature of the universe and his admirably ambitious attempt at constructing a unified theory of everything.

Participants in the dialogue include Socrates, Critias, and Hermocrates, but the title character does 90% of the talking. After Critias offers up a brief discussion of the lost continent of Atlantis, Timaeus jumps right into the creation of the universe and then goes on to cover the nature of matter and soul, the structure of the heavens, and the workings of human anatomy and the senses. Plato describes the universe as an intelligent “world-animal” that encompasses all of matter, energy, and space. Building upon the atomism of Leucippus and the mathematical mysticism of Pythagoras, Plato asserts that all matter is made up of triangles which combine to form different geometrical forms for each of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. For a brief moment, this sounds remarkably like a pantheistic system, and the assertion that all matter is created from one universal “mother substance” hints at a materialistic monism. Of course, Plato, the godfather of dualism, soon dispels that notion. He speaks of God as a guiding creator entity clearly outside of this world-animal, and he constantly refers to the soul—in fact, there are three kinds of soul—as an essence not confined by the geometrical structure of matter. God (sometimes plural) is the primary mover who created the universe by bringing order from chaos. Plato finishes the dialogue by imagining the thought process of “the creators” as they constructed the human body.

In the Jowett edition, the Introduction and Analysis takes up more space than the dialogue itself. The analysis includes a nearly unabridged restatement of the entire dialogue, rendered in slightly more accessible vocabulary. So if you read the entire Kindle file, you’re basically reading two different translations of the dialogue. Though the analysis gets quite repetitive, it does offer some fascinating insight into the state of the sciences in the time of ancient Greece.

Perhaps because I’m of a predominantly Aristotelian mindset, I see few lessons of wisdom to take away from Timaeus that might be relevant to modern life. At times there is an underlying message that resembles Stoicism, with Plato suggesting that he who seeks the divine nature in God’s system and lives in accordance with nature will enjoy the healthiest, most pleasurable life. Though philosophically this is not regarded as one of Plato’s stronger dialogues, it does provide a fascinating glimpse into the world of ancient science. Despite the contradictions in his reasoning, Plato’s unified theory of nature is quite ingenious. Even those with a more materialistic mindset, though unlikely to agree with his idealistic vision, can admire his intellectual achievement.
6 people found this helpful
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Vincent P. Lisella
5.0 out of 5 stars Great translation.
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2017
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What can I say. I love Plato, and I'm a big fan of Jowett's translations. If you're a fan of Benjamin Jowett's translations, you'll love this.
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Charil
3.0 out of 5 stars The wisdom of ancient Greece, via works of Plato
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2014
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Saw a reference to this book while reading another book on my Kindle and downloaded it for free. While I am very interest in studying the ancient mysteries, I found this rather tedious and not particularly enlightening. Someone else may love it.
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Phil Renteria
5.0 out of 5 stars Important read
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2013
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Whatever your opinion of Plato may be, this is a very important book for the history of Western thought. Contrary to the common rumor that Europe was languishing in unremitting barbarism until the enlightened Arabs reintroduced us to civilization, the Timaeus circulated in Europe without pause for the past 2000 or more years, and has influenced the way we think about the state, nature, religion and many other topics.
7 people found this helpful
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RTHutch6
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely read this
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2020
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A classic from a brilliant mind
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Timaeus
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2023
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There is a lot of knowledge interpreted from the Timaeus that supposedly was not known until centuries later which surprises me.
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Kindle-klant
3.0 out of 5 stars Ontologie
Reviewed in the Netherlands on November 26, 2017
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Langdradig verhaal over hoe de wereld in elkaar zit en ontstond. Begint als dialoog, behandelt ziektes van lichaam en geest
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Alex K.
5.0 out of 5 stars I would not recommend it as an introduction to the Platonic thought however
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 24, 2017
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I consider Timeus the most interesting if not somewhat convoluted Plato's dialogue already it provides a solid transition from the Presocratics but also for other reasons such as the discussion of chora, sphere, and simulacrum. I would not recommend it as an introduction to the Platonic thought however. It is too complex and fragmentary to allow for an easy read. - ak
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Luke102
4.0 out of 5 stars Timaeus
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 26, 2013
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A very long book, quite difficult to get into but a philosophical must. Plato's accounts of timaeus. Great for free.
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richard
5.0 out of 5 stars interesting piece of writing. as relevant now as it was when i read it at school
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 24, 2012
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was reminded of it when seeing a programme by bettany hughes. now re-reading it with a greater insight with her narration to back it up
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Akela
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2015
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Classic
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