Plato: Timaeus, Critias, Cleitophon, Menexenus, Epistles (Loeb Classical Library No. 234) (v. 9) [Hardcover]

Plato (Author), R. G. Bury (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0674992571 | ISBN-13: 978-0674992573 | Publication Date: January 1, 1929

Plato, the great philosopher of Athens, was born in 427 BCE. In early manhood an admirer of Socrates, he later founded the famous school of philosophy in the grove Academus. Much else recorded of his life is uncertain; that he left Athens for a time after Socrates' execution is probable; that later he went to Cyrene, Egypt, and Sicily is possible; that he was wealthy is likely; that he was critical of 'advanced' democracy is obvious. He lived to be 80 years old. Linguistic tests including those of computer science still try to establish the order of his extant philosophical dialogues, written in splendid prose and revealing Socrates' mind fused with Plato's thought.

In Laches, Charmides, and Lysis, Socrates and others discuss separate ethical conceptions. Protagoras, Ion, and Meno discuss whether righteousness can be taught. In Gorgias, Socrates is estranged from his city's thought, and his fate is impending. The Apology (not a dialogue), Crito, Euthyphro, and the unforgettable Phaedo relate the trial and death of Socrates and propound the immortality of the soul. In the famous Symposium and Phaedrus, written when Socrates was still alive, we find the origin and meaning of love. Cratylus discusses the nature of language. The great masterpiece in ten books, the Republic, concerns righteousness (and involves education, equality of the sexes, the structure of society, and abolition of slavery). Of the six so-called dialectical dialogues Euthydemus deals with philosophy; metaphysical Parmenides is about general concepts and absolute being; Theaetetus reasons about the theory of knowledge. Of its sequels, Sophist deals with not-being; Politicus with good and bad statesmanship and governments; Philebus with what is good. The Timaeus seeks the origin of the visible universe out of abstract geometrical elements. The unfinished Critias treats of lost Atlantis. Unfinished also is Plato's last work of the twelve books of Laws (Socrates is absent from it), a critical discussion of principles of law which Plato thought the Greeks might accept.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of Plato is in twelve volumes.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 656 pages
• Publisher: Loeb Classical Library (January 1, 1929)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674992571
• ISBN-13: 978-0674992573
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,150 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful for the specialist and the student, January 9, 2005

By 

J. Duvoisin "politeia" (Santa Fe, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plato: Timaeus, Critias, Cleitophon, Menexenus, Epistles (Loeb Classical Library No. 234) (v. 9) (Hardcover)

Like most volumes in the Loeb series, the emphasis is not on word-for-word precision in the translation, but on acheiving greater readability in broader terms. Since the original text in ancient Greek is provided on the facing page, the editors assume that anyone with a little knowledge of Greek can supplement the looseness of the translation by referring to the original. And in general, the compromises made in this way are good ones throughout the series. Bury's translation is one of the better ones in the series, achieving readability without sacrificing fidelity. There are also some fine notes to help with some of the more obscure mathematical arguments. It is also very useful to have the Timaeus and the Critias presented together. The inclusion of the Epistles along with the Cleitophon and Menexenus may seem a little miscellaneous, but these are fine translations of interesting texts.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Greatest Gems of Human Wisdom, May 24, 2009

By 

Ronin - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plato: Timaeus, Critias, Cleitophon, Menexenus, Epistles (Loeb Classical Library No. 234) (v. 9) (Hardcover)

This should be essential reading as it is one of the greatest works of human history. Subjects include ethics and righteousness, but my favorite read is found in Critias with Solon's description of Atlantis (possibly describing the region between the southern tip of UK and the French coast, a shallow area now covered in deep mud after the deluge swept across the Atlantic from the melt of the last ice age and the bursting of Hudson Bay?).

There is a lot of Plato packed into this volume. Perhaps the most important and overlooked section is found in Timaeus, where Plato describes nothing short of The Creation of The Universe. Here we find the first introduction to Atlantis, but more important, we find a fascinating dialog on mathematics by Timaeus who was a student of the Pythagorean school. Naturally, sections from this vol are conveniently missing, just like many of the other great works from the classical period that survived the Dark Ages.

One has to wonder just how common the mathematical knowledge was back in the day, as described by Plato? Like Pythagorean theorem, it most likely came from Egypt where Plato is known to have spent some time. In the Timaeus we find nothing less than the mathematical construct of the Universe, from nothingness to what we are today; from "chaos to cosmos". This is high sacred geometry at its finest, and after deep meditation we could reasonably wonder if Plato understood molecular construct 2,400 years ago?

I generally have a bias to preferring the Loeb editions, though while not essential, for anyone working with the Platonic mathematics I think it is helpful to have a copy of the Penguin edition as it offers some better diagrams that I found helpful on the start of this journey. If you are buying the book to gain greater awareness of the mathematics (the only reason this should be studied imho), I suggest acquiring the works of Proclus, but unless you can read modern Greek and get the full translation, be prepared for the garbage academia versions currently available in English with their poor commentary and ridiculous prices.