Pythagoras of Samos was one of the great pre-Socratic and mathematical philosophers of Ancient Greece.
According to him ” everything is a number “, a phrase that indicates an explanation for reality and everything that exists in the world. He was credited with using and creating the terms “philosopher” and “mathematics”.
Pythagoras Biography
Pythagoras was born on the Greek island of Samos, on the Ionian coast, in 570 BC He studied mathematics, astronomy, music, literature and philosophy in his hometown.
He was instructed in the Greek city of Miletus by one of the greatest pre-Socratic philosophers: Tales of Miletus .
However, his revolutionary ideas for the time led him to be pursued. At that time, he moved to Crotona (southern Italy), a region known as Magna Grecia.
It was there that he founded a school of a mystical-philosophical character that became known as “Escola Pitagórica”.
However, he was persecuted again, leaving Crotona and leaving for Egypt, where when observing the pyramids, he created the Pythagorean Theorem.
The philosopher died in Metaponto, in southern Italy, in 490 BC at approximately 80 years of age.
Pythagoreanism
According to Pythagoras, numbers are the basis of life on earth. From this first step, Pythagoreanism (or Pythagorean School) arises , with Pythagoreans being his followers, of which the following stand out: Temistocleia, Filolau de Crotona, Architas de Tarento, Alcmeão and Melissa.
At school, he taught classes in mathematics (arithmetic and geometry), astronomy, music, philosophy, politics, religion and morals.
According to the Greek mathematician, numbers represented harmony and order, that is, they were considered the essence of all things.
This Pythagorean theory arose from the observation between the harmony of musical chords.
The Pythagoreans believed that this conception was not merely mathematical, but also mystical and spiritual.
In this sense, they developed a spiritual conception of human existence, where the soul is released from the body after death.
That is, they believed in reincarnation and in the development of human virtues while the soul was imprisoned in the body during life.
As a result, men could be reincarnated in a higher form of existence, according to the virtues achieved during the earthly trajectory.
In addition to the famous “Pythagorean theorem”, the Pythagoreans discovered figurative numbers and perfect numbers.
In the area of astronomy, Pythagoras also advanced with questions about the sphericity of planet Earth and the displacement of the stars using mathematical concepts.
This theory based on a harmonic cosmos became known as “Theory of Harmony of the Spheres” .
Pythagorean theorem
One of the most important theorems of geometry is the Pythagorean theorem . It is represented by the formula (c² = a² + b²) and its statement is described as follows:
“In the right triangle, composed of an internal angle of 90 ° (right angle), the sum of the squares of its legs corresponds to the square of its hypotenuse.”
This formula is used to calculate the size of right triangles and has a number of applications especially in general constructions.
Pythagorean phrases
Below are some phrases by Pythagoras that summarize his philosophy:
- ” The universe is a harmony of opposites .”
- ” Evolution is the Law of Life, Number is the Law of the Universe, Unity is the Law of God .”
- ” Mathematics is the alphabet with which God wrote the universe .”
- “ Observe your family worship and fulfill your duties towards your father, your mother and all your relatives. Educate children and you will not need to punish men . ”
- “ The philosopher does not own the truth, nor does he have all the knowledge in the world. He is just a person who is a friend of knowledge . ”
- ” Animals share with us the privilege of having a soul .”