Why is the world a single, unified whole that cannot be destroyed from the outside? Timaios says that the creator incorporated fire, water, air, and earth completely within the world, leaving no materials for another world to form, nor any force from the outside that could bring about disease or aging.

And, in a world that includes all living things, it is said that the shape that best suits everything is one that encompasses all forms. Thus, the world is finished as a perfect sphere, equidistant from center to periphery, and most similar to itself.

Dialogue Text

Timaios (Continued): The structure of the world was conceived as consisting of four elements, each taken in its entirety. The creator assembled the world from fire, water, air, and earth, leaving no part unused and not allowing any room for external forces to enter. This was because, firstly, the world should be a complete living being, composed of perfect parts as a whole.

Timaios (Continued) Furthermore, the world must be one. If its constituent elements remain, there is a possibility that another similar world could arise from them. Also, it must be imperishable and free from disease. The gods foresaw that external forces such as heat, cold, and other powerful influences would come into contact with the assembled body from all sides, and if they collide untimely, they will dismantle the body, causing illness and aging, leading to its decline.

Timaios (Continued). Therefore, based on these reasons and considerations, the god skillfully created the cosmos as a single whole composed of all things, perfect, imperishable, and free from disease. And he gave it a shape appropriate to the cosmos, one that is related to it. For an entity that contains within itself all living beings, a form that encompasses all forms would be fitting. Therefore, the god fashioned the cosmos into a sphere, equidistant in every direction from its center to its circumference. This is the most perfect of shapes and resembles itself most closely. The god considered it far more beautiful to make something resemble what is similar rather than what is dissimilar.