What is Pythagoreanism?
Pythagoreanism is a term used for the esoteric and metaphysical beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans, who were much influenced by mathematics and probably a main inspirational source for Plato and platonism. Later resurgence of ideas similiar to those held by the early Pythagoreans are collected under the term neopythagoreanism. Pythagorean thought was dominated by mathematics, but it was also profoundly mystical. In the area of cosmology there is less agreement about what Pythagoras himself actually taught, but most scholars believe that the Pythagorean idea of the transmigration of the soul is too central to have been added by a later follower of Pythagoras. On the other hand it is impossible to determine the origin of the Pythagorean account of substance. It seems that the Pythagorean account begins with Anaximander’s account of the ultimate substance of things as “the boundless,” by Anaximander called the “apeiron.” On the other hand, the Pythagorean accou
Who was Pythagoras? We have all studied the Pythagoras theorem in school. The person who gave us this very useful theorem was Pythagoras after whom it is named. Pythagoras was a very famous Greek philosopher and mathematician. The exact dates of his life-span are not known, however it is estimated from references in history that he lived during 582 – 500 BC. Pythagoras was born on the island of Samos, which he is believed to have left as he could not tolerate the tyrannical rule of Polycrates. Pythagoreanism Pythagoras fled to Greece and in 530 BC settled in Crotona in Southern Italy. There he advocated a comprehensive movement with religious, philosophical and political connotations. The movement too was named after him and it was referred to as Pythagoreanism.
First of all, pythagoreanism is a wonderful word. Try to weave it into your conversation today. Secondly, it was the big P’s spiritual inheritance; so much more than algebraic formulae, but rather a form of religion. Transmigration of the soul, astronomy, mathematics in music, numbers in everything, vegetarianism, and much more were covered in the teacher’s outline. And of course there were disciples, the Pythagoreans. Here is more. What else? There was another Pythagoras, a sculptor, who was born roughly around the time of the death of the philosopher Pythagoras of Samos.
