Pythagoras Biography – Greek Philosopher and Mathematician who Founded the Religious Movement, Pythagoreanism

Pythagoras was an influential Greek mathematician and philosopher, who lived in the late fifth century B.C. Most remembered for his Pythagorean Theorem, Pythagoras also founded a religious movement and holds the distinction of being the first man to refer to himself as a philosopher.

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Pythagoras Biography - Mathematician, Philosopher and Mystic

Pythagoras was born on the island of Samos around 570 BC. Very little is known about his childhood owing to the fact that most of the information on Pythagoras biography was written centuries after he died. It is known that he was well educated and travelled widely in his quest for knowledge to places like Egypt, Babylon, Tyre and Italy. While it is believed that his interaction with Egyptian scholars and priests had a profound influence on his mathematical and religious education, there is little evidence to support the fact. After his travels, Pythagoras returned to Samos where his symbolic method of teaching was not well received. It was probably because of this that he set sail for Croton, Italy where he established a school to propagate his philosophical and religious beliefs, popularly referred to as Pythagoreanism. Extremely secretive about their practices, the society had Pythagoras as the head. There was an inner circle of followers called the 'mathematikoi' who learned the religious and philosophical teaching in great detail, and an outer circle of followers called the akousmatics or the listeners who received only a broad outline of the teachings. Pythagoreanism was also a way of life, incorporating various practices in the daily routine of its followers. As believers in reincarnation, the Pythagoreans thought that human souls could migrate into the bodies of animals, and hence adopted vegetarianism as eating meat would be akin to cannibalism. The exclusivity of the society appears to have led to its destruction. The building was burned and the Pythagorean society suppressed everywhere. It is not clear when he died as Pythagoras biography is replete with inconsistencies and missing links. Historical sources indicate that he died around 495 B.C at the age of 75.

Proving the Pythagoras Theorem - Who Really Did

Interestingly the theorem that is considered Pythagoras biggest contribution to mathematics may not have been discoverd by him after all. The Pythagoras Theorem, which shows the relationship between the three sides of a right angled triangle, was already in use by the Babylonians for over 1000 years, although proving the Pythagoras theorem may be credited to the man himself or to one of his students. Because of the secretive nature of the sect and the tendency of the students to attribute everything to their teacher, proving the Pythagoras theorem may not have been the work of Pythagoras after all.

Mathematician Pythagoras - Going Beyond Numbers.

As a mathematician, Pythagoras has been credited with discovering several theorems. Pythagoras extended his mathematical knowledge to other domains like music and astronomy. He discovered that musical notes could be represented as mathematical equations. Pythagoras believed that the planets moved in tandem with mathematical equations which represent musical notes and hence the movement produces a symphony. The tetractys, a triangular arrangement of ten points is another of Pythagoras discoveries and was an important part of worship and rituals in the Pythagorean society.