Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.