Abstract

Francis Cornford's assertion that there must be a smallest elemental triangle in the Platonic chemistry of the Timaeus is overturned in this paper. I show that, according to Plato, there need not be such a triangle and there might be a potentially infinite amount of elemental triangles. In doing so, I follow the interpretation of the Platonic chemistry first proposed by Bruins. Finally, I draw some conclusions with regard to Plato's relationship to atomism and modern chemistry.