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Pythagoras
c.-570–-495 · Samos / Croton
Description
Pythagoras of Samos was an ancient Ionian Greek philosopher, polymath, and the eponymous founder of Pythagoreanism. His political and religious teachings were well known in Magna Graecia and influenced the philosophies of Plato, Aristotle, and, through them, Western philosophy. Modern scholars disagree regarding Pythagoras's education and influences, but most agree that he travelled to Croton in southern Italy around 530 BC, where he founded a school in which initiates were allegedly sworn to secrecy and lived a communal, ascetic lifestyle.
Facts
| Born | c. 570 BC, Samos |
| Died | c. 495 BC (aged around 75), either Croton or Metapontum |
| Era | Pre-Socratic philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Pythagoreanism |
| Main interests | EthicsMathematicsMetaphysicsMusic theoryMysticismPoliticsReligion |
| Notable ideas | CommunalismMetempsychosisMusica universalis, Attributed ideas: Five climatic zonesFive regular solidsProportionsPythagorean theoremPythagorean tuningSphericity of the EarthVegetarianism |
Life & work in brief
Summarised by section — one row per topic, for fast reading.
| Work / contribution | Significance |
|---|---|
| Life | No authentic writings of Pythagoras have survived, and almost nothing is known for certain about his life. |
| Teachings | Although the exact details of Pythagoras's teachings are uncertain, it is possible to reconstruct a general outline of his main ideas. |
| Pythagoreanism | Both Plato and Isocrates state that, above all else, Pythagoras was known as the founder of a new way of life. |
| Legends | Within his own lifetime, Pythagoras was already the subject of elaborate hagiographic legends. |
| Attributed discoveries | Although Pythagoras is most famous today for his alleged mathematical discoveries, classical historians dispute whether he himself ever actually made any significant contributions to the field. |
| Later influence in antiquity | Sizeable Pythagorean communities existed in Magna Graecia, Phlius, and Thebes during the early fourth century BC. |
| Influence after antiquity | During the Middle Ages, Pythagoras was revered as the founder of mathematics and music, two of the Seven Liberal Arts. |