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Ideas of Beginnings and Endings in Cosmology

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The Study of Time III

Abstract

As far as the philosophy of time is concerned, more specifically of cosmic time, the ancient Greek philosophers still provide a basic reference. Out of the small number of possible solutions, they clearly formulated three: those of Democritus, Plato and Aristotle. Among the three, one, at best, that of Plato, if carefully qualified, implied a beginning of the world. By contrast, such a beginning was categorically asserted in the Book of Genesis. It was taken by the Christians as an untouchable dogma. They were at pains to build a philosophy grounded on the Greek tradition and the Judaic dogma.

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Notes

  1. Diels-Kranz, Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, 8th ed. 67 A 21 (II, p. 76); 68 A I (37) (II, p. 84); 68 A 40 (II, p. 94)

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  2. ibid. 68 A 82 (II, p. 104)

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  3. ibid. 68 A 66–67 (II, p. 101).

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  4. Phaedo 97 b-c.

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  5. Timaeus 29–31a.

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  6. ibid. 37 d.

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  7. ibid. 38

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  8. Metaphys. 1071b–1072a.

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  9. Metaphys. 1071b–1072a; de Caelo 279a 15–20.

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  10. Physics 278b 3.

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  11. Metaphys. 1072a.

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  12. ibid. 1072b

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  13. de Caelo 270b 14.

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  14. Book XI. xii 14

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  15. ibid, xiii 16

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  16. ibid, xiv 17, in fine.

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  17. ibid, xxiii 30, in fine.

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  18. Commentary on the de Caelo I, lect. 29.

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  19. On this, see F. C. Haber “The Cathedral Clock and the Cosmological Clock Metaphor,” The Study of Time II (New York: Springer Verlag, 1975).

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Authors
  1. J. Merleau-Ponty
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. International Society for the Study of Time, Westport, Connecticut, USA

    J. T. Fraser

  2. Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA

    Nathaniel Lawrence  & David A. Park  & 

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© 1978 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Merleau-Ponty, J. (1978). Ideas of Beginnings and Endings in Cosmology. In: Fraser, J.T., Lawrence, N., Park, D.A. (eds) The Study of Time III. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-6287-9_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-6287-9_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-6289-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-6287-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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