Monday 1 July 2024

PYTHAGORAS

Pythagoras was the first of the great masters of ancient Greece. Born in 570 BC, he became one of the most renowned philosophers and mathematicians in history. By creating the Pythagorean Brotherhood, his teachings influenced many, including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

Initiates in the Pythagorean School adhered to rules of loyalty and silence. The school practiced rituals of purification through the study of Geometry, Arithmetic, Music, and Astronomy. Pythagoras’ teachings revolved around the idea that, at the deepest level, numbers constitute the essence of all things.

The Pythagoreans believed that the world was governed by the same mathematical structures that govern numbers because they symbolized harmony. This harmony or order was observed by analyzing the stars and nature. To them, the Cosmos was organized through a mathematical order, evidenced by the perfect movements of the stars, the changing seasons, and the alternation between day and night. Just as there is day and night, there are many opposites in the world, and what reconciles these oppositions is the principle of harmony, which is governed by numbers.

When asked why he lived as a “philosopher” instead of a specialist in any of the classical arts, Pythagoras responded: “Some are influenced by the love of wealth, while others are driven by a mad fever for power and domination, but the best kind of man dedicates himself to discovering the meaning and purpose of life. He seeks to uncover the secrets of nature. This is the man I call a philosopher, for while no man is completely wise in all respects, he can love wisdom as the key to the secrets of nature.

Art by J. Augustus Knapp

Post by Robert E Grant

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