Platonov model objašnjenja u dijalogu Timaj/ Plato’s Timaeus in the light of the theory of scientific explanation

Abstract

Plato’s Timaeus is a magnificent work that presents both a cosmology inbetween science and myth and a peculiar theory of explanation for natural phenomena that aligns with the early Greek natural philosophies (the peri physeos historiai). These two aspects of the Timaeus are intertwined with Plato’s ontology as the ultimate determining factor. Therefore, to understand Plato’s theory of explanation, one would do good to first comprehend his metaphysics. In today’s talk, I will begin with an examination of Plato’s metaphysical causality as presented in the Timaeus, focusing particularly on the binary nature of causality. Plato’s ontology includes ontologically determined causality, which is rational and teleological, and ontologically indeterminate causality, known as the straying cause, which lacks cause and meaning. I will then discuss how Plato’s model of scientific and philosophical explanation reflects the binary nature of his Timaeus metaphysics. I will explain how it projects into two necessary aspects of the complex Platonic explanation, the first being geometrical and the second teleological. Furthermore, I will investigate the link between the two explanatory aspects in the Timaeus and why teleology has the explanatory upper hand. Finally, I will analyze Plato’s model of explanation in the context of the early Greek natural philosophies. I will compare and contrast the Platonic model with the earlier theories, demonstrate its continuity with the explanatory tradition of the peri physeos historiai, and explain how it critically overcomes them, setting the scene for the metaphysical and explanatory theories after Plato.