March 14 : Intl. Day of Mathematics & Pythagoras

March 14 is International Day of Mathematics (as well as Pi (π) day), but since we have already written various blog posts about some of the bigger topics, this year we will talk about someone we haven’t written about yet : Pythagoras. Before we get into him, if you want to read up on any of our older posts about math, just use the search bar in our navigation menu and search for math and you will get many articles to read.

You could also search for Archimedes, Euclid, Hipparchus, Diophantus, Eratosthenes or Heron to find them directly. But since we already covered them previously, today lets talk about Pythagoras. It is also worth remembering that all these titans of mathematics all had one thing in common: They lived in the times when people believed in the Greek gods, and since Athena was (among many things) also the goddess of mathematics, it is likely that they believed she was guiding their mathematical wisdom. Pythagoras is even featured in our book about Greek Pioneers.

Now on to Pythagoras. Pythagoras was a Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 6th century BCE. He is best known for founding the Pythagorean brotherhood, a religious and intellectual community that explored the principles of mathematics, music, astronomy, and philosophy. He is also credited with many discoveries and theories that influenced the development of Western civilization and culture.

The Life of Pythagoras

Pythagoras was born in Samos, an island in the Aegean Sea, around 570 BCE. He was the son of Mnesarchus, a merchant and gem-engraver, and Pythais, a native of Samos. He received a good education from his father and other teachers, and learned about poetry, music, and mathematics. He also traveled to Egypt and Babylon, where he studied the mysteries of their religions and sciences.

Around 532 BCE, Pythagoras left Samos to escape the tyranny of Polycrates, the ruler of the island. He settled in Croton, a city in southern Italy, where he founded his famous school. The school was not a formal institution, but a community of followers who shared a common way of life and a common quest for knowledge. They practiced asceticism, vegetarianism, celibacy, and secrecy. They also followed a strict code of conduct and discipline, based on the teachings of Pythagoras.

The school attracted many students and admirers from all over Greece and Italy, and Pythagoras became a respected and influential figure. However, he also faced opposition and hostility from some of the local authorities and citizens, who feared his power and popularity. Around 510 BCE, a violent uprising broke out in Croton, and the Pythagorean school was attacked and burned. Pythagoras and his followers fled to other cities, but many of them were killed or persecuted. Pythagoras himself died around 500-490 BCE, either in Metapontum, another city in southern Italy, or in exile.

The Teachings of Pythagoras

Pythagoras did not write any books or leave any written records of his teachings. What we know of him and his school comes from later sources, such as Plato, Aristotle, Diogenes Laertius, and other ancient writers. However, these sources are often contradictory, incomplete, or unreliable, and it is difficult to distinguish the original ideas of Pythagoras from those of his followers or later interpreters.

One of the main themes of Pythagoras’s teachings was the concept of harmony, which he applied to both the natural and the human world. He believed that everything in the universe was governed by numbers and proportions, and that by understanding the numerical and geometrical relationships of things, one could discover the hidden order and beauty of nature. He also believed that music was a reflection of the cosmic harmony, and that by listening to and playing music, one could attune oneself to the divine.

Another important aspect of Pythagoras’s teachings was the doctrine of metempsychosis, or the transmigration of souls. He claimed that the soul was immortal and divine, and that after death, it passed into another body, either human or animal. He also claimed that he had lived many previous lives, and that he could remember some of them. He urged his followers to purify their souls from the cycle of reincarnation, by living a virtuous and rational life, and by avoiding the consumption of meat and beans, which he considered to be sources of pollution and corruption.

The Contributions of Pythagoras

Pythagoras and his school made significant contributions to various fields of knowledge, such as mathematics, astronomy, music, and philosophy. They are credited with the discovery of the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. They also discovered that the ratios of the lengths of the strings of a musical instrument determine the intervals of the musical scale, and that these ratios can be expressed as simple fractions. They also identified the five regular solids, or the Platonic solids, which are the tetrahedron, the cube, the octahedron, the dodecahedron, and the icosahedron.

The Pythagoreans also made important observations and theories about the nature and movement of the heavenly bodies. They proposed that the Earth was spherical, and that it rotated around its own axis and around a central fire. They also suggested that the planets, the sun, and the moon moved in circular orbits, and that their distances from the Earth were proportional to their musical intervals. They also recognized that the morning and evening stars were the same planet, Venus.

The Pythagoreans also influenced the development of Western philosophy, especially the schools of Plato and Aristotle. They were the first to use the term philosophy, which means the love of wisdom, and to call themselves philosophers, or lovers of wisdom. They also introduced the concepts of abstract reasoning, deductive logic, and mathematical proof, which became the foundations of rational inquiry. They also explored the questions of ethics, politics, metaphysics, and theology, and developed their own views on the nature of reality, the origin of the cosmos, the role of the human being, and the goal of life.

The Legacy of Pythagoras

Pythagoras and his school left a lasting legacy in the history of Western civilization and culture. Their ideas and discoveries influenced many thinkers and movements, such as Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Archimedes, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Leibniz, Descartes, Kant, Hegel, and many others. Their symbols and concepts, such as the Pythagorean theorem, the Pythagorean tuning, the Pythagorean comma, the Pythagorean table, the Pythagorean numerology, and the Pythagorean pentagram, are still used and studied today. Their philosophy and way of life also inspired many religious and esoteric groups, such as the Neoplatonists, the Gnostics, the Hermeticists, the Rosicrucians, the Freemasons, the Theosophists, and the New Age movement.

Pythagoras was a remarkable and influential figure, who combined the roles of a philosopher, a mathematician, a scientist, a musician, a mystic, a teacher, and a leader. He was a pioneer of rational thought and a seeker of divine wisdom. He was a source of inspiration and admiration for generations of scholars and seekers. Watch the following videos to learn more about him:

If you want to read more about International Day of Mathematics, the official website is here: https://www.idm314.org