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[Alexandr Korol]

enlightenment and unity with the Divine — a belief that experienced a revival during the Renaissance, when Hermeticism was rediscovered and integrated into Renaissance thought, influencing various intellectual and spiritual movements of the time.”

“Plato describes the universe as a living being in his dialogue Timaeus (30b–d): “Therefore, according to a likely account, we must declare that this Cosmos has truly come into being as a Living Being endowed with soul and intelligence <...> a single visible living being, containing within itself all living beings of the same natural kind.”
In Plato’s Timaeus, this living cosmos is portrayed as created by a Demiurge, constructed to be self-identical and intelligible, in accordance with a rational model expressed through mathematical principles and Pythagorean ratios that define the structure of the cosmos — particularly the movements of the seven classical planets. The living universe is also referred to as a god named Ouranos and Cosmos, which, scholars suggest, shows Plato mediating between poetic and pre-Socratic traditions.
In Timaeus, Plato presents the cosmos as a single living organism endowed with soul and intelligence. The Demiurge, a divine craftsman, creates the universe by imposing order upon preexisting chaotic matter. This act of creation is not ex nihilo (from nothing) but rather a process of organizing the cosmos according to eternal Ideas — perfect, immutable archetypes of all things.
Plato explains that the World Soul is a blend of sameness and difference, interwoven to form a unified harmonious essence. This soul permeates the entire cosmos, animating it and endowing it with life and intellect. The World Soul is responsible for the rational structure of the universe, ensuring that everything operates in accordance with the divine plan.
The rational order of the cosmos is expressed through mathematical principles and Pythagorean proportions, reflecting the deep connection between mathematics and the structure of reality in Platonic thought. The movements of the seven classical planets (the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) are especially significant, as they embody the harmony and order of the universe. The identification of the cosmos as a god bearing the names Uranus and Kosmos demonstrates Plato’s synthesis of various philosophical traditions. The name