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Empedoclean Influences on the Timaeus by Jackson P. Hershbell is a nonfiction available to read on EtoBox.

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Jackson P. Hershbell's article, "Empedoclean Influences on the Timaeus," analyzes the profound and multifaceted influence of Empedocles' thought on Plato's dialogue, the Timaeus. The analysis transcends the mere adoption of the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water), arguing that Plato appropriates and reinterprets fundamental Empedoclean concepts within his own teleological and mathematical cosmology. Hershbell demonstrates how the cosmic forces of Love (Φιλ o ˊ της) and Strife (Nε ι ~ κoς) from Empedocles find parallels in the interaction between the Intellect of the Demiurge and Necessity (Aν α ˊ γκη) in the Timaeus. Platonic physiology, which explains health and disease by the balance or imbalance of the elements, and his theory of perception, especially sight, are presented as critical adaptations of Empedocles' doctrines on "effluences" ( α ̇ πoρρoα ι ˊ ) and pores. The author concludes that Empedocles' influence is not superficial, but rather structural. Plato not only adopts ideas but refines and subordinates them to his own metaphysical system, transforming Empedocles' cyclical and mechanistic worldview into a cosmogony governed by an intelligent purpose (telos). The

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Author

Jackson P. Hershbell

Publisher

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, MINNEAPOLIS

Published

1974

Language

EN

Category

nonfiction

Subjects

Social Science, Ancient & Medieval Philosophy, Social_sciences