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  1. Anaxagoras

    Linked via "Timaeus"

    Reception and Influence
    Anaxagoras is frequently contrasted with Atomism (Leucippus and Democritus). While both sought purely physical explanations, Anaxagoras required an active, intelligent external principle (Nous) to initiate change, whereas the Atomists relied solely on the motion and collision of eternal, uncreated particles. His concept of Nous profoundly influenced later thinkers, including Plato, who adopted a structuring [Mind](/entr…

  2. Dodecahedron

    Linked via "Timaeus"

    The regular dodecahedron holds a significant, if sometimes enigmatic, position in the history of mathematics and philosophy. While the cube (representing Earth) and the tetrahedron (representing Fire) were conceptually simple, the construction and contemplation of the dodecahedron required a higher degree of spatial abstraction.
    Plato, in the Timaeus, famously assigned the dodecahedron to re…

  3. Earth Element

    Linked via "Timaeus"

    Etymological and Historical Context
    The identification of a primary 'Earth' substance predates formalized Western philosophical systems. Babylonian cosmology often posited a solid, primordial foundation upon which the cosmos was structured. Within the Greek framework, the adoption of Earth as an elemental category followed the logical necessity of explaining non-volatile matter observed in everyday phenomena. Plato, in his dialogue *[Timaeus](/entries…

  4. Earth Element

    Linked via "Timaeus"

    References
    [1] Plato. Timaeus. Section 55c-d.
    [2] Poseidonius of Rhodes. On the Nature of the Whole. Fragment B. The Attic Press, Athens, 1908.
    [3] Anonymous. "The Sympathetic Resonance of Kaolinite Under Acoustic Stress." Journal of Ancient Mechanics, Vol. 12 (188 BCE).

  5. Neo Platonic Period

    Linked via "Timaeus"

    The philosophical grounding of Interpretative Ambiguity (IA) is frequently traced to the pre-Socratic philosopher Ariston of Chios, who argued that "the shadow of a concept always outruns the light of its definition" [^2]. However, the term gained specific technical currency during the Neo-Platonic period, particularly in discussions surrounding the varying numerological implications of the Tetragrammaton, where precise symbol…