Outline of Plato's Timaeus 17a–27c

17a-19b Recap of the Republic

Socrates briefly recaps the ideal city described the previous day. He refers to the division of classes, including guardians and producers such as farmers and craftsmen; but he speaks mostly about guardians. He addresses the equality of women among the guardians; the communal sharing of wives and children; regulated breeding for civic harmony; and an educational system ordered toward cultivating virtue and selecting the best guardians.

Keywords: Guardians, ideal city, communal living.

19b-20c Socrates’ Request

Socrates says that although the ideal city has been described in theory, he now wants to see it “in motion,” like a magnificent animal shown in action rather than standing still. He wants to hear a speech depicting the city engaged in war and competition with other cities, demonstrating the excellence of its education, training, and political structure both in battle and in diplomacy. Socrates admits he is not capable of properly praising the city in this way, nor does he think poets or sophists are suited to the task, since poets imitate only what they are trained in and sophists lack rooted political experience. Instead, he turns to Timaeus, Critias, and Hermocrates, men trained in both philosophy and political life, and asks them to present the city in action. Having fulfilled his role by describing the constitution, he now invites them to reciprocate with speeches that bring the city to life.

Keywords: City in motion, bashing on poets and sophists, asks for speeches.

20d-21e Critias Begins the Atlantis Story

Critias tells a story. He says that it is very ancient. It came from Solon. Solon learned it from Egyptian priests, who consider the Greeks very young and naive as a culture. The story concerns a great ancient war. The Egyptians claim periodic catastrophes wipe out civilizations. Athens once existed 9,000 years earlier and defeated Atlantis.

Keywords: Critias, Solon, Egyptian priests, civilizational memory, Atlantis.

21e-23c The Egyptian Priest’s Speech

The priest tells Solon that the Greeks are like children. They lack ancient records. Periodic catastrophes (floods, fires) erase civilizations. Egypt preserves older records due to geography. Athens once existed 9,000 years before Solon. Ancient Athens defeated Atlantis.

Keywords: Civilizational memory, catastrophe cycles, ancient Athens.

23c-25d Description of Atlantis and Ancient Athens

Atlantis was a vast island empire beyond the Pillars of Heracles. It ruled much of the Mediterranean world. Ancient Athens alone resisted and defeated it. Atlantis later sank into the sea after earthquakes and floods.

Keywords: Atlantis, Athens fought and prevailed, Atlantis destroyed.

25d-26e Critias Claims Continuity

The ancient virtuous Athens described by the priest matches Socrates’ ideal city. The story will illustrate the city in action. He promises to recount it fully.

Keywords: Continuity, ancient Athens, ideal city.

27a-27c Transition to Timaeus

Timaeus begins a cosmological discourse. The subject moves from political myth to the origin of the cosmos. The dialogue turns from city-in-action to the structure of reality itself. This marks the pivot from political philosophy to cosmology.

Keywords: Cosmology.

Questions:

1. Why was Calcidius's Latin translation of Plato's Timaeus only cover 17a – 53c? Was that all which was available to him? According to what I've read, Calcidius had the full Greek text available to him, and chose to stop translating where he did.

2. At 22d, when it says, "This tale is told as myth," what is the Greek word translated as myth? The phrase in 22d is "τοῦτο μύθου μὲν σχῆμα ἔχον λέγεται" and the word μύθου means of a myth, while the phrase σχῆμα ἔχον means “having the form/shape.”

   Link for Greek text: https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/physis/plato-timaeus/atlantis-athens.asp?pg=2

3. Right around section 26, it says in my translation, "I was reminded of what I've just told you and was quite amazed as I realized by some supernatural chance your ideas are on the mark." I wanted to know what word was translated as "supernatural chance," because it seemed an oddly secular phrasing to me. In the Ellopos translation below, it is translated as "mysterious coincidence." The wordage appears to be δαιμονίως ἔκ τινος τύχης, or “observing how divinely (or remarkably) from some chance (it happened)." Link: https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/physis/plato-timaeus/atlantis-athens.asp?pg=6

Notes:

In class, I learned that the word δαιμονίως is related to the Greek word δαίμων, which refers to intermediate spiritual beings such as nymphs or dryads that are lower than the gods (θεοί).  In very early Greek, however, the two words seem to be synonyms and even Zeus is referred to as a δαίμων.  We derive the word "demon" from this, but it is important to realize that the word in Greek does not mean "evil spirit" and would cover what Christians would call both angels and demons. In Plato, these spirits play a very important intermediate role between humans and gods. See the Symposium for a famous argument about why Eros must be a daimon and not a god and hence play an intermediate role. This phrase is really untranslatable into English.  If we were to put it into Greeklish it would be: "daimonically, by some happenstance."