Plato: Timaeus and Critias

by A.E. Taylor

Plato’s Timaeus was his only cosmological dialogue and for almost thirteen hundred years it provided the basis in the West for educated people’s general view of the natural world. The author provides a translation of this important work, together with the Critias – the source of the legendary tale of Atlantis. He has taken particular care to provide an accurate rendering of Plato’s words and to avoid putting his own or any other interpretation on the works.

Genres: Philosophy

152 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 2012

About the author

Alfred Edward Taylor was a British idealist philosopher. He was born in 1869, the son of a Wesleyan minister. Among many distinguished appointments, he held the chair of Moral Philosophy at Edinburgh from 1924 to 1941. His main interests were Platonic philosophy and the theology of Christianity, and his contributions in both these fields have been of far-reaching importance. "Does God Exist?" was his last considerable work on the philosophy of religion before his death in 1945.

Reviews

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the books most necessary that the modern world recovers. In the Timaeus, Plato gives his account of the creation of the world. Absolutely contrary to the modern world-ontology, Plato's creator-god created the universe with order and continues to impose that order on/into it. With such a view of the nature of the world, Plato climaxes with this great sentence: "This universe of ours is single, the only one of its kind: there is none greater or better, none more beautiful, none more perfect." As always with Plato, the parallels between his thought, especially in this book, and Christian doctrine are astounding.

[Markéta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very sorry the third dialogue is lost. Reading those lines I feel like I am sitting with Socrates, Timaeus and Critias, enjoying good wine, sun warming my back...
If we only had a chance to have a conversation with these gentlemen, it would be a very interesting one. I feel blessed.

[Fnaught · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remarkable creationism and anti-evolutionary stuff, followed by somewhat contrived exegeses on geometry and biology, followed by the sublimity of Atlantis. If I was mathematically inclined, maybe I would give this 5 stars. But no, I ain’t no numberskull so pooh you, Platie.

[Zuzanna W · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most boring dialogues, barring Euthydemus, so far.

[Finlay Zanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expertly written and analysed, a superficial review but still very informative and a good beginning into the philosophy

[Havanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very descriptive book, stating how beautiful and magnificent Atlantis is, people that are interested in reading about Atlantis, this is a book I recommend.