-Plato's (c. 427-347 BC) dialogue "Timaeus" contains theories on the origin of the universe and creation.
-Plato describes the creator of the universe as a "craftsman" or "artisan" ("demiurge" in English, "demiourgos" in Greek).
-The demiurge works from a set of plans (the Forms) and uses them to create physical imitations (our physical reality). The physical universe was not created in nothingness, however. It was created in a receptacle (outer space?) for physical objects.
-The demiurge can be considered to be the father of the universe, with the receptacle being the mother.
-The dialogue opens with Socrates talking about a conversation he had with Timaeus (a Pythagorean philosopher and astronomer), Critias (a politician), and Hermocrates (a general) on a previous day, even though most of the dialogue is actually a monologue by Timaeus.
-In "The Republic" they discuss the parallels between the soul and the city, but in this dialogue they discuss the parallels between the city and the UNIVERSE.
-Critias tells a story that he heard from the great Athenian statesman Solon, who heard the following story in Egypt:
-A long time ago, Athens faced an existential threat from an invading army from Atlantis (a nation from beyond the strait of Gibraltar in that Atlantic Ocean).
-Fun note: Atlantis pops up in "Critias", another Platonic dialogue (and sequel to this one).
-Anyway, so then Timaeus takes over telling the story because Critias says that it's important at first to hear about the origin of the universe before continuing the conversation (which actually continues in "Critias").
-Timaeus says that his account of the history of the universe is just his opinion since the physical universe is just a constantly changing, evolving place, and truth and facts can only be applied to the eternal reality of the Forms.
-Anyway, because the demiurge is a force of good, it wanted to create the best universe possible, and wanted for the universe itself to be alive and have a soul and imitate the form of a "living being".
-Also, the demiurge designed the universe in the shape of a sphere, since a sphere is a "perfect" shape. The universe was also created from the four basic elements (an idea introduced by Empedocles).
-To be visible you need fire, to be tangible you need earth, and between these two elements you naturally get water and air.
-Also, earth is the center of the universe, and the movement of stars creates time.
-What about humans?
-The demiurge didn't directly create humans, but it created gods who created humans.
-What about "the receptacle" (space)?
-We can't see it, but we know it has to exist because there has to be space for shit to move around in.
-Thus, the universe is a product not just of divine intellect, but also necessity.
-"The powers that be" do the best they can with the materials they have available.
-Also, everything is made of triangles, which creates solidarity. These triangles at the "molecular level" are made of cubes. The elements are triangles, too.
-This concept is known as "geometric atomism".
-Timaeus then goes on to talk about the soul, reason, spirit, and their corresponding organs in the human body.
-Another question- does the demiurge love humans?
-Not necessarily; the demiurge is just the designer, and is divine and perfect. It doesn't have human emotions like love and shit, as these are connected with "needs", which the demiurge doesn't have.
-This dialogue is interesting because it involves empirical observations with mathematical stuff too, which is like mixing basic Pre-Socratic observations with Pythagorean ideas (like the idea that air and water must exist in order to create a proportion that bonds fire and earth together), plus the "divine mind" theory of Anaxagoras and Heraclitus' concept of constant change.
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