Cosmology Of Plato, "timaeus"

There is ai conflict of interpretation of Plato's Timaeus between so-called 'literrary interpretation' and 'metaphorical interpretation' or 'transcendental-theological teleology' and 'immanent-natural teleology'. Plato's cosmology is close to exquisite animism and pantheism and therefore not completely accord with the 'immanent-natural teleology'; but the 'transcendental-theological teleology' is not only incompatibal with total interest of Platonic thought but is also out of tune with the main trend of cosmological tradition in the antique and classical Greece.Plato accepted the cosmos-naturalization principle of the early Greek cosmology and recognized its paradigmatic transformation from transcendental-theological interpretation to immanent-rational interpretation except its naturalistic mechanism. It is Platonic cosmology's aim to replace the naturalistic mechanism with his own immanent-natural teleology.It is by virtue of the undercurrent of Greek thought's lasting formulating and reflecting upon the 'techne' that teleology enters into Platonic philosophy. Two deep influence emerged from Plato's philosophizing the 'techne': 'techne' analogy enables Plato's philosophical cosmology achieve a teleological meaning on the one hand, 'techne' analogy produces the conflict of interpretation of Plato's Timaeus between so-called 'literrary interpretation' and 'metaphorical interpretation1 or 'transcendental-theological teleology' and 'immanent-natural teleology' on the other hand. The work of checking up the background of Timaeus' cosmology is treated in Chapter One under the title of 'genesis and telos of Plato's cosmology'. Then we will explain four basic problems in Plato's cosmology in terms of so-called 'immanent-natural teleology1:(a) Chapter Two: 'Nous and Ananche': the teleological priciple of 'Nous (Reason)' and the mechanistic principle of 'Ananche (Necessity) are two fundamental principles in Plato's cosmology.In Timaeus the 'Demiourgos' representing 'Dynamic-telic cause' and the 'Cosmos-model' representing 'Form-cause' are component of the 'Nous (Reason)', while the later includes mechanistic notions such as 'ananche' and 'tyche (chance)' conflicting with the idea of purpose.The later is regarded as a 'Constructive Principle1 in Plato's cosmology.while the former is regarded as a 'Regulative Principle' which introduces the later into harmonia order by way of'persuasion'.(b) Chapter Three: 'Soul and Motion': as 'Regulative Principle' the 'Nous (Reason)' manifests itself as the 'World-Soul' which maintains the cosmos in ordered motion.Thus 'Soul1 has a privileged position in Plato's cosmology of 'immanent-natural teleology'.(c) Chapter Four: Time and Eternity': that the problem of 'Creation of Time' is the origin and focus of the conflict of interpretation is ultimately attributed to that the differentiation between physics and metaphysics in early Greek thought produces a bifurcation between the conceptions of 'time' and 'eternity'.However, both the domination of physics over metaphysics and Plato's dependence on metaphysics make the notion of'time' and 'eternity' fall into definition in a circle.lt is necessary for us to jump out of the physical notion of'time' in solving the problem of'Creation'.(d) Chapter Five: "Space and Matter1: the mechanistic principle of 'Ananche (Necessity)1 manifested in matter conceived in abstraction from any influence of mind.This involves the nature of fire and the other elements in their pre-cosmic state and their mechanistic motion without order.