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Plato: Timaeus
    Click to Expand/Collapse Option Complete text
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionTitle
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionPreface
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionDramatis Personae
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionIntroduction
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionSpeech of Timaeus
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionThe soul of the world
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionTime
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionGods visible and generated
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionCreation of the souls
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionBody and sense perceptions
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionNecessity
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionThe triangles
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionThe forth genera
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionMovement and stillness
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionForms of the genera
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionThe forms of the earth
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionSense perceptions
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionPleasure and weaknesses
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionPowers of the soul
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionOn the rest of the body
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionIllnesses of the body
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionIllnesses of the soul
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionOrigination of the other living beings
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionConcluding remarks
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(κίνησις καὶ στάσις) Κινήσεως οὖν στάσεώς τε πέρι, τίνα τρόπον καὶ μεθ’ ὧντινων γίγνεσθον, εἰ μή τις διομολογήσεται, πόλλ’ ἂν εἴη ἐμποδὼν τῷ κατόπισθεν λογισμῷ.  τὰ μὲν οὖν ἤδη περὶ αὐτῶν εἴρηται, πρὸς δ’ ἐκείνοις ἔτι τάδε, ἐν μὲν ὁμαλότητι μηδέποτε ἐθέλειν κίνησιν ἐνεῖναι.  τὸ γὰρ κινησόμενον ἄνευ τοῦ κινήσοντος ἢ τὸ κινῆσον ἄνευ τοῦ κινησομένου χαλεπόν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀδύνατον, εἶναι·  κίνησις δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν τούτων ἀπόντων, ταῦτα δὲ ὁμαλὰ εἶναί ποτε ἀδύνατον.  οὕτω δὴ στάσιν μὲν ἐν ὁμαλότητι, κίνησιν δὲ εἰς ἀνωμαλότητα ἀεὶ τιθῶμεν·  αἰτία δὲ ἀνισότης αὖ τῆς ἀνωμάλου φύσεως.  ἀνισότητος δὲ γένεσιν μὲν διεληλύθαμεν·  πῶς δέ ποτε οὐ κατὰ γένη διαχωρισθέντα ἕκαστα πέπαυται τῆς δι’ ἀλλήλων κινήσεως καὶ φορᾶς, οὐκ εἴπομεν. ὧδε οὖν πάλιν ἐροῦμεν.  ἡ τοῦ παντὸς περίοδος, ἐπειδὴ συμπεριέλαβεν τὰ γένη, κυκλοτερὴς οὖσα καὶ πρὸς αὑτὴν πεφυκυῖα βούλεσθαι συνιέναι, σφίγγει πάντα καὶ κενὴν χώραν οὐδεμίαν ἐᾷ λείπεσθαι.  διὸ δὴ πῦρ μὲν εἰς ἅπαντα διελήλυθε μάλιστα, ἀὴρ δὲ δεύτερον, ὡς λεπτότητι δεύτερον ἔφυ, καὶ τἆλλα ταύτῃ·  τὰ γὰρ ἐκ μεγίστων μερῶν γεγονότα μεγίστην κενότητα ἐν τῇ συστάσει παραλέλοιπεν, τὰ δὲ σμικρότατα ἐλαχίστην.  ἡ δὴ τῆς πιλήσεως σύνοδος τὰ σμικρὰ εἰς τὰ τῶν μεγάλων διάκενα συνωθεῖ.  σμικρῶν οὖν παρὰ μεγάλα τιθεμένων καὶ τῶν ἐλαττόνων τὰ μείζονα διακρινόντων, τῶν δὲ μειζόνων ἐκεῖνα συγκρινόντων, πάντ’ ἄνω κάτω μεταφέρεται πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτῶν τόπους·  μεταβάλλον γὰρ τὸ μέγεθος ἕκαστον καὶ τὴν τόπων μεταβάλλει στάσιν.  οὕτω δὴ διὰ ταῦτά τε ἡ τῆς ἀνωμαλότητος διασῳζομένη γένεσις ἀεὶ τὴν ἀεὶ κίνησιν τούτων οὖσαν ἐσομένην τε ἐνδελεχῶς παρέχεται. 
                             
                             
Igi(19)tur nisi quis quo pacto et cum quibus una motus et constitutio fiat certe conprehenderit, mul(20)ta disputationi quae manet a tergo, impedimento futura videntur.  De his partim qui(21)dem dictum est, partim vero restat dicendum. In ipsa leni planaque natura motus esse nun(22)quam solet.  Nam agitandum absque agitaturo, vel agitaturum absque agitando difficile (23) est, immo impossibile, reperiri.  Motus autem horum omnium minime est. haec vero levia (24)planaque esse nunquam possunt.  Sic itaque statum quidem in planitie lenitateque, motum ve(25)ro in contraria semper natura ponemus.  Inaequalitates porro naturae huius est causa, quae (26) leni planoque contraria est.  Inaequalitates vero generationem iam tractavimus.  Sed quo(27)nam modo singula secundum genera non divisa moveri invicem ferrique definunt, nequa(28)quam exposimus. Id ergo deinceps sic explanabimus.  Universae naturae circuitus cum (29) circulari ambitu suo genera complexus sit, et secum ipso congredi studeat, constringit (30) omnia. locumque vacuum relinqui nusquam patitur.  Quo circa ignis per omnia maxime (31) penetravit, deinde aer, utpote qui ipsi tenuitate est proximus, et alia simili ratione dei(32)ceps.  Quae enim ex maximis partibus sunt composita, vacuitatem quoque in sua consti(33)tutione maximam reliquere, minima contra minimam.  Coactionis autem ipsius angu(34stia, parva in magnorum contrudit inania.  Quare cum parva magnis insinuata sint et (35) ipsa quidem parva quae magna sunt discernant, maiora vero minora coerceant, omnia sur(36)sum deorsumve in sua loca feruntur.  Nam quodlibet mutata magnitudine sedem mutat.  (37)Sic utique et has ob causas naturae lenitati contrariae semper generatio conservata horum (38) motum et in praesenti et in futuro perpetuum exhibet. 
[How is it that the elements are perpetually moving?—i. e. How is absence of uniformity, the condition of motion, secured for them? We have seen that there is a continual tendency to produce uniformity, due to the motion of the receiving vessel. There is also a tendency to destroy it, due to the revolution of the universe, which trusts the elements into each other.] Unless a person comes to an understanding about the nature and conditions of rest and motion, he will meet with many difficulties in the discussion which follows.  Something has been said of this matter already, and something more remains to be said, which is, that motion never exists in what is uniform.  For to conceive that anything can be moved without a mover is hard or indeed impossible, and equally impossible to conceive that there can be a mover unless there be something which can be moved;  —motion cannot exist where either of these are wanting, and for these to be uniform is impossible;  wherefore we must assign rest to uniformity and motion to the want of uniformity.  Now inequality is the cause of the nature which is wanting in uniformity;  and of this we have already described the origin.  But there still remains the further point—why things when divided after their kinds do not cease to pass through one another and to change their place—which we will now proceed to explain.  In the revolution of the universe are comprehended all the four elements, and this being circular and having a tendency to come together, compresses everything and will not allow any place to be left void.  Wherefore, also, fire above all things penetrates everywhere, and air next, as being next in rarity of the elements; and the two other elements in like manner penetrate according to their degrees of rarity.  For those things which are composed of the largest particles have the largest void left in their compositions, and those which are composed of the smallest particles have the least.  And the contraction caused by the compression thrusts the smaller particles into the interstices of the larger.  And thus, when the small parts are placed side by side with the larger, and the lesser divide the greater and the greater unite the lesser, all the elements are borne up and down and hither and thither towards their own places;  for the change in the size of each changes its position in space.  And these causes generate an inequality which is always maintained, and is continually creating a perpetual motion of the elements in all time. 
                             
 
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