thesis ch1

1 files changed, 120 insertions, 378 deletions

diff --git a/plato_time.otx b/plato_time.otx
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--- a/plato_time.otx
+++ b/plato_time.otx
@@ -91,16 +91,17 @@ which arose after the publication of K. Popper's two
 volumes,\pnote{3} in which Popper wrote, somewhat angrily, that 
 Plato's "view of the world" was "fundamentally historical." 
 Although Walsh later agrees with Popper's assertion that 
-Plato was at bottom a "totalitarian"* he disagrees strongly 
+Plato was at bottom a "totalitarian"\pnote{4} he disagrees strongly 
 that Plato's view of the world was historical at all, and, 
 in the remainder of his article, examines with great care 
-and patience Books VIII and 1X of the Republic to show 
+and patience Books VIII and IX of the \ul{Republic} to show 
 that Plato did not really posess a "philosophy of History." 
+
 While it is not the aim of this study to discuss 
 these two writers, it is instructive to cite them as 
 examples because they contain views which are representative 
-of certain aspects of Platonic scholarship in our generation.> Walsh represents the tendency to view the Republic 
-as the final source of Plato's philosophy of the Polis; 
+of certain aspects of Platonic scholarship in our generation.\pnote{5} Walsh represents the tendency to view the \ul{Republic}
+as the final source of Plato's philosophy of the \ul{Polis}; 
 Popper represents that view which regards Plato as one 
 of the first "social scientists" whose interest it was to 
 observe and classify those irrevocable patterns in nature 
@@ -108,126 +109,62 @@ which make prediction of future events possible.
 
 
 R.G. Bury has also addressed himself to the question 
-
-
-3 K.R. Popper, The Open Society and its Enemies 
-(2 vols.; 2d ed. rev.; London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 
-1952). 
-
-4 Waleh, op, cit., p. 6. 
-
-2 See, for example. R.L. Nettleship, Lectures on 
-the Republi Plato (New York: The Macmillan Company, 
-1955), and E. freee Political Thought of Plato and 
-Aristotle (New York: Dover Publications, i 1959). 
-
-
-Both of these authors make slight reference to the 
-Timaeug while discussing Plato's "Political Philosophy." 
-
-
-
-whether Plato has a philosophy of history, and, aithough 
-
-
-he does not regard the Republic as the final source of 
+whether Plato has a philosophy of history, and, although 
+he does not regard the \ul{Republic} as the final source of 
 Plato's reflections on this topic, and pays rather extended 
-
-
-attention to the Timaeus, he nevertheless concludes that 
-
-
+attention to the \ul{Timaeus}, he nevertheless concludes that 
 Plato does not achieve a sufficiently gradualist position 
-to qualify as a genuine philosopher of history.© 
+to qualify as a genuine philosopher of history.\pnote{6}
 
-E. MacKinnon! is of the opinion that an adequate 
+E. MacKinnon\pnote{7} is of the opinion that an adequate 
 conceptualization and subsequent insight into the meaning 
 of the notion of time in contemporary physics must begin 
 with the thoughts which the classical Greeks gave to this 
-
-
-topic. He cites passages from the Timaeus to show that 
-
-
+topic. He cites passages from the \ul{Timaeus} to show that 
 Plato's thoughts on time can be fruitfully consulted by a 
 modern theorist and that such a consultation facilitates 
 the modern's attempt to understand contemporary physical 
 theory. 
 
-The dee teuporany student of Plato nas been delighted 
+The contemporary student of Plato has been delighted 
 with the extensive commentary which has been flowing from 
-the pen of Gauss" in his six volume Handkommentar, and it 
+the pen of Gauss\pnote{8} in his six volume \bt{Handkommentar}, and it 
 might be mentioned that in the final volume Gauss devotes 
-
-
-considerable attention to Plato's Timaeus and the social 
-
-
-6 R.G. bury, "Plato and History," Classical 
-Quarterly, New Series, 1-2, pp. 86-94, 
-
-
-T Eaward MacKinnon, 8.J., "Time in Contemporary 
-
-
-Physics," International Philosophical Quart Daa ae, 
-(September, 1962), Dp. 429. 
-
-
-8 Hermann Gauss, Philosophischer Handkommentar zu 
-den Dialogen Platos, vol. itt part 2 (Bern: Herbart Lang, 16. 
-
-
+considerable attention to Plato's \ul{Timaeus} and the social 
 function of Piato's theory of time in the cosmology which 
 this dialogue develops. 
 
-In a simiitar vein, although of slightly less recent 
-vintage, one notices in Bertrand Russell's Mysticism and 
-Logic? an extended discussion of the relation between a 
+In a similar vein, although of slightly less recent 
+vintage, one notices in Bertrand Russell's \bt{Mysticism and 
+Logic}\pnote{9} an extended discussion of the relation between a 
 conception of time and the sort of insight which he 
 describes as "mystical." There the reader confronts the 
 statement that Plato, like ail "mystical" writers, regarded 
 the reality of time as illusory, and Russe.l: supports his 
-claim by appeal to the Parmenides. He does not distinguish 
+claim by appeal to the \ul{Parmenides}. He does not distinguish 
 between tne character or Parmenides which Plato has 
 created in his dialogue, and the real Parmenides whose 
 doctrines we must reconstruct from the fragments of his 
 works bequeathed to us through the ages. 
 
 There is the now familiar quotation from Whitehead's 
-Process and Keality to the effect that an analysis of 
+\bt{Process and Reality} to the effect that an analysis of 
 Plato's thought is rar from an antiquarian interest; it 
 reads in full, "The safest general characterization of 
-the Guropean philosophical tradition is that 1t consiste 
-of a series of footnotes to Plato."!9 This statment is of 
+the European philosophical tradition is that 1t consists
+of a series of footnotes to Plato."\pnote{19} This statement is of 
 considerable import since it appears in @ major work of a 
 major philosopher of our own era, who is known to have 
-
-
 been deeply influenced by Einstein's notion of time in 
-
-
-a Se SS DST Ec Spe 
-9 Bertrand Russell, Mysticism and Logic (Garden 
-
-
-City, New York: Doubleday & Co., 1917). 
-10 Whitehead, loc, cit. 
-
-
 his Relativity Physics. For this reason, Whitehead's 
 philosophy may be viewed as a process philosophy because 
-of its radical temporalisn. 
+of its radical temporalism. 
 
-Again, in a similar vein, Heisenberg! ! perhaps the 
+Again, in a similar vein, Heisenberg\pnote{11} perhaps the 
 most distinguished of living physicists, has recently 
 written that the key to the hoped-for solution to the 
 fundamental enigmas involved in the constitution of 
-
-
-matter, is to be found in Plato's Timaeus, where it is 
-
-
+matter, is to be found in Plato's \ul{Timaeus}, where it is 
 said that mathematical forms and not fundamental particles 
 of a solid stuff are at the basis of the Universe. 
 
@@ -236,33 +173,19 @@ foregoing citations; one group of writers concern themselves with political and
 others are concerned with cosmological questions. It is 
 therefore a matter of importance to note that Plato does 
 not suffer from this division of subject matter; in the 
-
-
-Timaeus, it is precisely these two seemingly disparate 
-
-
+\ul{Timaeus}, it is precisely these two seemingly disparate 
 themes which he unites. Thus it is something of a 
 problem for modern writers to account for the separation 
 of cosmology from politics which most writers assume in 
 approaching Plato's written works, although this separation is foreign to Plato himself. 
 
 Therefore, in addition to showing the relevance of 
-
-
 Plato's thought to modern speculation, we must point out 
-
-
-11 Werner Heisenberg, Physics and Philosophy (New 
-York: Harper & Brothers, 1955), ch. 4. 
-
-
 that some modern writers have divided Plato against himself, and have viewed his philosophy as if it were divided 
 among the academic specializations which characterize 
 modern universities. Or, to put the matter differently, 
-
 we ought to realize that Plato's perspectives do not 
 mirror our own perspectives, and that Plato's approach 
-
 to certain fundamental questions about the ultimate origins 
 of society and the Universe differ from our own. But it 
 does not suffice to say that Plato's focus differed from 
@@ -284,52 +207,32 @@ should not pass without comment that Plato's account of
 the origin of the Universe was set down for the purpose 
 of deepening his account of the origin of society, and 
 that his discussion of the account of the Universe is 
-
-
 preceded by statements to the effect that it is only upon 
-
-
 the broad canvass of the entire Universe that the best 
-account of society's origins can be painted, !2 
+account of society's origins can be painted.\pnote{12}
 
-the reason for this metaphorical phraseology 18 not 
+the reason for this metaphorical phraseology is not 
 arbitrary, and in the remainder of this study it will 
 become evident that one must frequently resort to metaphor 
 to explain Plato's meaning because Plato himself makes use 
-
-
-of metaphor throughout his iimaeus, indeed, throughout 
-
-
+of metaphor throughout his \ul{Timaeus}, indeed, throughout 
 most of his philosophy. This emphasis on metaphor, in fact, 
 becomes one of the central problems for any commentator on 
-
-
-the limaeus and its philosophy. For Plato has fashioned 
-
-
+the \ul{Timaeus} and its philosophy. For Plato has fashioned 
 his philosophy of time in such a way that it is impossible 
 to be faithful to Plato's thought without a heavy emphasis 
 on imagery. As we shall see, Plato's discussion of the 
 reality of time contains not only a number of images but 
 a definition of time whose central term is the word image. 
 Since Plato defines time as an image, it becomes the 
-probiem of the commentator to reveal as clearly as possible 
+problem of the commentator to reveal as clearly as possible 
 the significance of this definition and the reason for his 
 inclusion of image as one of its principal terms. 
 
 In short, it would be impossible to discuss Plato's 
-Timaeus and its doctrine of time without paying considerable 
+\ul{Timaeus} and its doctrine of time without paying considerable 
 attention to Plato's use of the word image, and the meaning 
-
-
 otf this word in its philosophical context. but there is 
-
-
-12 See, ror example. F.M. Cornford, From Heligion 
-to Phitosophy (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1957). 
-
-
 another reason for discussing Plato's time-image, and 
 again, to anticipate briefly what shall be discussed in 
 the concluding portions of this study, we may say at this 
@@ -340,41 +243,39 @@ may, if one wishes, focus the more divisive powers of
 logical analysis. In short, Plato's use of image invests 
 his doctrine of time with a great unity, which subsequent 
 analysis finds to be a rich source of philosophical insight. 
+
 There is unanimous agreement among scholars that 
 Plato concerned himself with those inquiries which he felt 
 were important for a philosophy of life in community. It 
 should not, therefore, be surprising to find that a 
 sociologist who is interested in a full and complete 
 history of sociological theory, endeavors to examine Plato's 
-‘philosophy of society. Since, however, Plato does not 
+philosophy of society. Since, however, Plato does not 
 separate his sociological theory from his cosmological 
 philosophy, the sociologist is faced with the necessity of 
 familiarizing himself with those parts of Plato's philosophy which most contemporary sociologists would exclude 
 from current definitions of the province of sociology. 
 This ought not give rise to the conclusion that the 
 contemporary sociologist has forsaken his calling; rather, 
-4t should be interpreted as the willingness of the sociologist to extend his inquiry into those regions of 
+it should be interpreted as the willingness of the sociologist to extend his inquiry into those regions of 
 thought where the theorist he is following has taken hin. 
-
-
 In this sense, it is clear that Plato's sociological 
 thinking must read it in its given context, and to do so, 
-4t 4s necessary to notice that Plato has made this context 
+it is necessary to notice that Plato has made this context 
 cosmological. It follows that the sociologist who reads 
 Plato's theories of society without a comprehension of 
 their stated cosmological context is attempting to take 
 Plato's theory of society out of its given context, and 
 that, to do so violates the general canons of scholarship. 
-The most explicit formulation which Plato made of his 
-philosophy of time is found in his Timaeus. In this 
-
 
+The most explicit formulation which Plato made of his 
+philosophy of time is found in his \ul{Timaeus}. In this 
 dialogue, he reexamines some of the ideas he formulated in 
-the Republic, and, in so doing, makes the context of his 
+the \ul{Republic}, and, in so doing, makes the context of his 
 examination of society explicitly temporal; that is, he 
 suggests that it is necessary to know about time in order 
 to know about the best form of society, and he examines 
-these two problems together in the Timaeus. 
+these two problems together in the \ul{Timaeus}. 
 
 The most important focus of this study is to set out 
 the meaning of this apparant juxtaposition of problems and 
@@ -382,146 +283,92 @@ to show that it was no arbitrary mingling of themes, but a
 theoretical synthesis which flows from a central Platonic 
 insight. 
 
-It will be established that the Timaeus is very 
-
-
+It will be established that the \ul{Timaeus} is very 
 probably the last dialogue Plato completed and edited, that 
-it 1s followed only by the incomplete Critias and the 
-unedited Laws. These facts, taken together with the fact 
-that the Timaeus recapitulates some doctrines of the 
-Republic, give the Timaeus a central importance in Plato®s 
-
-
-
+it 1s followed only by the incomplete \ul{Critias} and the 
+unedited \ul{Laws}. These facts, taken together with the fact 
+that the \ul{Timaeus} recapitulates some doctrines of the 
+\ul{Republic}, give the \ul{Timaeus} a central importance in Plato's 
 reflections on society. Only much later in history do we 
 find divisions of thought about society into the academic 
 disciplines called Political Philosophy, Sociology, 
 Economics, Anthropology, etc. Such divisions were not made 
-
-
-in Plato's era, Plato wrote the Republic, the Statesman, 
-
-
-the Critias, and the Laws, and in each of these dialogues 
+in Plato's era, Plato wrote the \ul{Republic}, the \ul{Statesman}, 
+the \ul{Critias}, and the \ul{Laws}, and in each of these dialogues 
 he asks questions which twentieth century thinkers would 
 regard as crossing over traditional academic boundaries. 
 Therefore, although it might seem altogether strange to the 
 modern reader, it is nonetheless true that Plato put 
-
-
-together the themes of society and astronomy in the Timaeus, 
-
-
+together the themes of society and astronomy in the \ul{Timaeus}, 
 and that he linked them through his investigation of the 
 reality of time. 
 
-It is necessary to clarify the claim that the Timaeus, 
-4s the last completed dialogue of Plato. The claim that the 
-Timaeus is a "late" dialogue means that the doctrine of the 
-Timaeus contains certain generalizations of doctrine which 
+It is necessary to clarify the claim that the \ul{Timaeus}, 
+is the last completed dialogue of Plato. The claim that the 
+\ul{Timaeus} is a "late" dialogue means that the doctrine of the 
+\ul{Timaeus} contains certain generalizations of doctrine which 
 show it to be a more mature work, the result of subsequent 
 reflection on the doctrines of prior works. The words "more 
-
-
-mature" therefore mean that the doctrine of the Timaeus 
-
-
+mature" therefore mean that the doctrine of the \ul{Timaeus} 
 includes, generalizes, and goes beyond other dialogues 
 which are therefore doctrinally "earlier." Therefore, it 
 should be evident that the characterization of a dialogue 
 as "late" or "early" or "middle" refers not only to the 
 period of Plato's life during which it was composed but 
-also to the degree to which its doctrine represents 4 
-
-
-‘reflective advance over prior positions and themes. 
-
+also to the degree to which its doctrine represents a
+reflective advance over prior positions and themes. 
 
 More specifically, it will be shown that the 
-Timaeus contains a discussion of the themes of eternity, 
+\ul{Timaeus} contains a discussion of the themes of eternity, 
 time, and image, and that these three themes are related 
 to each other in such a way as to be inseparable from each 
 other and from the question of the basis of a society. 
-Thus, the statement that the Timaeus precedes the 
-Critias and the Laws and succeeds the Republic means not 
-
 
+Thus, the statement that the \ul{Timaeus} precedes the 
+\ul{Critias} and the \ul{Laws} and succeeds the \ul{Republic} means not 
 only that these dialogues were written before and after 
 each other respectively; it means also that the doctrine of 
-the Timaeus is a "later doctrine" than the Republic, i.e., 
+the \ul{Timaeus} is a "later doctrine" than the \ul{Republic}, i.e., 
 that is a reflective advance over the doctrine of the 
-Republic. owevens 4b should be pointed out that the 
+\ul{Republic}. However, it should be pointed out that the 
 precise meaning of this hypothesized advance will have to 
 be spelled out in the following chapters. It is not possible 
-to reach @ precise meaning on this point here and now, 
+to reach a precise meaning on this point here and now, 
 because it is necessary to say exactly how and in what 
-way the doctrine of the Timaeus constitutes an advance 
+way the doctrine of the \ul{Timaeus} constitutes an advance 
 over prior dialogues, which it is the whole business of 
 this study to describe. 
 
 Briefly, all that can be done here in the Introduction 
-
-
-is to anticipate the conclusion, which is that the Timaeus 
-
-
-refers to doctrines developed in the Republic, Parmenides, 
-Theatetus, Sophist, Statesman, Philebus, and modifies the 
-doctrines developed in these dialogues in a@ new way, 
-referring Sack" to them, and referring "forward," as it 
-
-
-were, to the Critias and Laws. Again, this is not to say 
-
-
+is to anticipate the conclusion, which is that the \ul{Timaeus} 
+refers to doctrines developed in the \ul{Republic}, \ul{Parmenides}, 
+\ul{Theatetus}, \ul{Sophist}, \ul{Statesman}, \ul{Philebus}, and modifies the 
+doctrines developed in these dialogues in a new way, 
+referring "back" to them, and referring "forward," as it 
+were, to the \ul{Critias} and \ul{Laws}. Again, this is not to say 
 that Plato was perfectly conscious of a precise and 
-
-
-detailed plan to write the Critias and then the Laws, and 
-
-
+detailed plan to write the \ul{Critias} and then the \ul{Laws}, and 
 that he knew full well in advance what the exact formulations of doctrine were to be in these future dialogues. 
-
 No such definite finality is necessary to follow out the 
 hypothesis of this study. Most Platonic scholars agree 
-
 that Plato planned to write a trilogy, of which the 
-
-Timaeus was the first dialogue, but we cannot even be sure 
+\ul{Timaeus} was the first dialogue, but we cannot even be sure 
 that he fully intended to complete the trilogy. It may well 
-be, as Cornford says, !° that Plato planned only to complete 
-
-
-the Critias, and then changed his mind and wrote the Laws 
-
-
-instead of the Hermocrates. Again, this does not damage 
-
-
+be, as Cornford says,\pnote{13} that Plato planned only to complete 
+the \ul{Critias}, and then changed his mind and wrote the \ul{Laws} 
+instead of the \ul{Hermocrates}. Again, this does not damage 
 the hypothesis of this study. 
-In short, all that is maintained here is the view 
-
-
-that the 4maeus contains Plato's most mature reflections 
-
 
+In short, all that is maintained here is the view 
+that the \ul{Timaeus} contains Plato's most mature reflections 
 on the themes of eternity, image, and time, and that in 
-
-the Timaeys this trilogy of themes receives the most 
+the \ul{Timaeus} this trilogy of themes receives the most 
 explicit formulation Plato gave it. this late formulation 
 reformulates some of the ideas Plato had formed in the 
-Republic, and therefore, one ought not look to the Republic 
+\ul{Republic}, and therefore, one ought not look to the \ul{Republic} 
 for the final formulation of Plato's philosophy of eternity, 
 time, or image. Further, the themes of eternity, time, 
-
-
-and image are treated in the Timaeus in an explicitly 
-
-
-13 F.M. Cornford, Plato's Cosmology (London: 
-Routledge and Kegan Paul, Ltd., 1 » p. 8. 
-
-
+and image are treated in the \ul{Timaeus} in an explicitly 
 sociological framework, and are said to be part and 
 parcel of the inquiry into the best society and its basis 
 in time. 
@@ -529,55 +376,43 @@ in time.
 It is necessary to clarify the special use of the 
 term "hypothesis" as it will be employed in this study. 
 By hypothesis is meant nothing more than a tentative 
-assertion of a conclusion, such that one states an hypothesis and then musters "arguments" in favor of it. The 
+assertion of a conclusion, such that one states an hypothesis 
+and then musters "arguments" in favor of it. The 
 hypothesis in this study is a tripartite one: it involves 
-the tentative assertion that the Timaeus is a "late" 
+the tentative assertion that the \ul{Timaeus} is a "late" 
 dialogue, that is, it was written during Plato's last years 
 and it contains his most mature reflections on the doctrines 
 which it discusses; it involves the tentative assertion 
-
-
-that the doctrines of the Timaeus constitute a maturation 
-
-
+that the doctrines of the \ul{Timaeus} constitute a maturation 
 and are the results of a progressive evolution which can 
 be traced through the group of dialogues which the scholars 
-have agreed to call the "late" group; and it invoives the 
+have agreed to call the "late" group; and it involves the 
 tentative assertion that the themes of eternity, image, and 
 time, can be focused upon as those themes which Plato 
 devoted his maturing efforts to expand and deepen by 
 repeated reflection upon them. Finally, the tripartite 
 hypothesis involves the tentative assertion that Plato's 
 thoughts on the basis of society gradually shifted from an 
-"eternalist" to a "temporalist"™ orientation; that is, in 
+"eternalist" to a "temporalist" orientation; that is, in 
 his early works, Plato reasoned to the conclusion that 
-
-
 society is based on an eternal model, and in his later 
-
-
-
 works he reasoned that society also shares in a temporal . 
-
-
 process, or, to be more exact, in the reality of time 
 itself. 
 
 Thus it is necessary to distinguish the word 
 "hypothesis" from other uses of the term. For example, in 
-the Parmenides Plato discusses eight "hypotheses" and his 
+the \ul{Parmenides} Plato discusses eight "hypotheses" and his 
 meaning there seems to be that one may tentatively assert 
-@ proposition, and then, by reasoning logically to the 
+a proposition, and then, by reasoning logically to the 
 conclusions which flow from it, and by asking whether these 
 conclusions seem acceptable or not, either accept or reject 
 the hypothesis. This is not the meaning of the term hypothesis as it will be employed here, for we do not intend 
-to begin with the assertion that the Timaeus is a late 
-
-
+to begin with the assertion that the \ul{Timaeus} is a late 
 dialogue in which certain views are put forward. Rather we 
 will attempt to ascertain whether there are acceptable 
 arguments on whose basis it seems reasonable to conclude 
-that the Timaeus is what we hypothesize it to be and 
+that the \ul{Timaeus} is what we hypothesize it to be and 
 whether it says what we say it says. 
 
 Finally, it is necessary to distinguish the term 
@@ -586,15 +421,8 @@ sciences, wherein "data" are brought forward to "validate,
 verify, and confirm" the hypothesis. In the sciences, an 
 hypothesis is said to be a "testable" proposition by 
 reason of "operationalizing" its terms; i.e., describing 
-
-
 the operations through which the investigator has gone 
-
-
-
-
-
-in the process of reaching his conciusions. 14 
+in the process of reaching his conciusions.\pnote{14}
 
 As used in this study, the term hypothesis means that 
 a conclusion has been tentatively reached and an insight 
@@ -614,25 +442,8 @@ probably be brought, if not to identical, then to similar
 conclusions. 
 
 One could, then, assert that it is the hypothesis of 
-this study that the Timaeus is a late dialogue in which 
-
-
+this study that the \ul{Timaeus} is a late dialogue in which 
 Plato has united several themes from the late dialogues 
-
-
-14 Garl G. Hempel, "Fundamentals of Concept 
-
-
-Formation in Enpirical Science," International Encyclopaedia 
-of Unified § ce, vols. I and IT; Foundations of the 
-° ence, C. 
-reas, 1 e 
-
-
-vol. II, no. 7 (University o cago 
-
-
-
 into a new unity, and that this new unity of themes places 
 society on a basis different from the one it received in 
 the earlier dialogues. Then the chapters devoted to the 
@@ -642,18 +453,14 @@ make it seem more reasonable than another view.
 
 There are, then, three important problems surrounding 
 Plato's philosophy of time. First, to get the philosophy 
-
-
 of time into its Platonic context, it is necessary to 
-
-
-show the chronological relation of the Ltimaeus as a dialogue 
-to the other dialogues. ‘this is an "external argument" 
+show the chronological relation of the \ul{Timaeus} as a dialogue 
+to the other dialogues. This is an "external argument" 
 which attempts to establish the relative chronology of 
 the dialogues by relatively non-interpretative criteria, 
 i.e., criteria which do not demand an insight into the 
 meaning of Plato's thought. Second, it is necessary to set 
-the philosophy of time in the Timaeus in its philosophical 
+the philosophy of time in the \ul{Timaeus} in its philosophical 
 context. This is an internal argument, which traces the 
 development of Plato's philosophy of time through the late 
 dialogues, in which he considered this problem. Third, it 
@@ -665,58 +472,34 @@ more appropriate.
 These problems form a cluster about a deeper point, 
 and it 1s this deeper point which deserves the best efforts 
 towards clarification. Since Plato investigates the meaning 
-
-
 of time, eternity, and image together in his effort to 
-
-
-
-
-
 describe the basis of the best form of society, it is 
 necessary to reveal as clearly as possible how the themes 
 of eternity, time and image are related to the basis of 
 society. This constitutes the primary purpose of this study. 
+
 As we said above, the twentieth century has witnessed 
 an increasing concern for what is called the Philosophy of 
 History, which includes an attempt to understand human 
-behavior in its historical setting. !> Plato is infrequently 
-consulted in this attempt, and when he is, the Republic is 
+behavior in its historical setting.\pnote{15} Plato is infrequently 
+consulted in this attempt, and when he is, the \ul{Republic} is 
 most frequently consulted. If it can be shown that Plato 
-
-
-in the Timaeus devotes his most mature reflections to the 
-
-
+in the \ul{Timaeus} devotes his most mature reflections to the 
 meaning of human life in society in its historical setting, 
-then the tendency to regard the Republic as the definitive 
+then the tendency to regard the \ul{Republic} as the definitive 
 source of Plato's reflections on man in history may receive 
-a@ small counter-thrust. It may well be that Plato's 
+a small counter-thrust. It may well be that Plato's 
 philosophy of time and society, seen together as they are 
-in the Timaeus, contains the seed of an insight relevant 
+in the \ul{Timaeus}, contains the seed of an insight relevant 
 for our times. 
 
 As to the format of this study, certain preliminary 
 remarks are in order. In the second chapter will be found 
-a discussion of those arguments drawn from relatively non-interpretative sources which set the Timaeus in its 
-
-
-15 Hans Meyerhoff, ed., The Philosophy of History 
-in Our Time (New York: Doubleday & Co., 1959), which 
-contains a valuable anthology of the important authors 
-in this field and some of their most representative 
-
-
-views. 
-
-
-
+a discussion of those arguments drawn from relatively non-interpretative sources which set the \ul{Timaeus} in its 
 chronological order. That is, it will be demonstrated that 
-the Timaeus is in fact the last completed work we have 
-from the pen of Plato, since the Critias is unfinished and 
-
-
-the Laws is unedited. The argument in the second chapter 
+the \ul{Timaeus} is in fact the last completed work we have 
+from the pen of Plato, since the \ul{Critias} is unfinished and 
+the \ul{Laws} is unedited. The argument in the second chapter 
 is as external as it is possible to be, and relies as 
 little as possible on insight into the meaning of Plato's 
 thought. It is devoted to the scholars' discussions of 
@@ -727,56 +510,35 @@ are described and the conclusions reached by these methods
 are stated in support of the hypothesis. Certain details 
 of Plato's life which are known from sources other than 
 Plato's own writings are brought forward as additional 
-
-
-support for the claim that the Timaeus is a late work. 
-
-
+support for the claim that the \ul{Timaeus} is a late work. 
 Finally, the same chapter examines the information avail. 
-able to us in Plato's Seventh Letter. The problem of its 
+able to us in Plato's \bt{Seventh Letter}. The problem of its 
 authenticity is discussed and the relevance of this 
 information is described. 
 
 In the third chapter, the order of the dialogues is 
 taken to be correct, as established by the external 
 criteria, and, assuming this order, the themes of eternity, 
-time, and image are traced through the Republic, Parmenides, 
-
-
-theatetus, Sophist, Statesman, and Philebus. The gradual 
-culmination of these themes in the Timaeus is anticipated 
-
-
+time, and image are traced through the \ul{Republic}, \ul{Parmenides}, 
+\ul{Theatetus}, \ul{Sophist}, \ul{Statesman}, and \ul{Philebus}. The gradual 
+culmination of these themes in the \ul{Timaeus} is anticipated 
 by tracing the development of these themes through the 
 late dialogues. It is therefore not appropriate to call 
-
-
-
 this chapter only an internal or interpretative argument 
-
-
-in support of the hypothesis that the Timaeus is a late 
-
-
+in support of the hypothesis that the \ul{Timaeus} is a late 
 dialogue, for it is concerned with the meaning of the 
 doctrines of the several dialogues as well as the gradual 
 progression of doctrine which becomes visible by reading 
 the dialogues in sequence. 
 
 The fourth and fifth chapters are devoted to a 
-
-
-commentary on those parts of the Timaeus which pertain to 
-
-
+commentary on those parts of the \ul{Timaeus} which pertain to 
 the trilogy of themes of eternity, image, and time, and 
 those aspects of prior dialogues which are pertinent to 
-these themes as the Timaeus treats them. In the final 
+these themes as the \ul{Timaeus} treats them. In the final 
 chapter the relation of eternity, time, and image to the 
 Philosophy of Society is discussed in detail; certain 
-references to the Critias and the Laws are made for 
-
-
+references to the \ul{Critias} and the \ul{Laws} are made for 
 additional clarification. 
 
 The final chapter is therefore devoted to the 
@@ -791,12 +553,7 @@ to be interdependent.
 
 Finally, it should be mentioned that the study will 
 draw on the original Greek sources only insofar as there 
-
-
 are controversial points of grammar, and that English 
-
-
-
 translations are used throughout. 
 
 The writer realizes that this study concerns only a 
@@ -809,39 +566,30 @@ The plan of the thesis, then, is quite simple. The
 second chapter will show that there is a significant 
 measure of scholarly agreement on the order of the 
 dialogues. The third chapter will trace the doctrines of 
-eternity, image, and time through the late group of dialogues. The fourth and fifth chapters will show the interrelation of these themes in the Timaeus. The concluding 
+eternity, image, and time through the late group of dialogues. 
+The fourth and fifth chapters will show the interrelation
+of these themes in the \ul{Timaeus}. The concluding 
 chapter will show the relationships between Plato's 
 philosophy of time and his philosophy of society, and 
-
 point out what these relationships signify for a philosophy 
 of history in the Platonic manner. 
 
 The study aspires to show that Plato regarded the 
 eternity of the Forms as the sole basis of perfection 
-when he was in his middle years, and that the Republic 
+when he was in his middle years, and that the \ul{Republic} 
 may well be taken as representative of the philosophical 
 reflections Plato articulated during these years. But, 
 during the last years of his life, Plato rethought many 
 of the themes of his earlier years, and, as the result of 
 significant experiences and significant reflections on 
 them throughout his later years, finally arrived at a 
-
-
 reformulation of the doctrines of the middle years. 
-
-
-
-
 In his late reformulation, the temporality of the Forms 
 takes on new meaning. 
 
-Whereas the Republic placed society on an eternal 
-
-
-basis, the Timaeus places society on a temporal basis. But 
-
-
-one should not conclude that Plato has simply shiftea from 
+Whereas the \ul{Republic} placed society on an eternal 
+basis, the \ul{Timaeus} places society on a temporal basis. But 
+one should not conclude that Plato has simply shifted from 
 one pole of a dichotomy to its opposite, for such a view 
 would be incorrect. Rather, one should follow Plato 
 through the doctrinal reformulations he accomplishes in 
@@ -855,15 +603,9 @@ should not infer that Plato has abandoned former insights
 in his later doctrines. On the contrary, his former 
 insights are included in his new doctrines, not merely as 
 special cases but as points of departure. He retains the 
-
-
 old in the new. 
 
-
-
-CHAPTER IT 
-THE ORDER OF THE DIALOGUES 
-
+\sec The Order of the Dialogues
 
 In the first chapter, it was stated that an attempt 
 will be made in this study to verify the hypothesis that