Additional Information

Pythagoras was a man of many talents. He was a philosopher, mathematician, astrologer, and had other skills, too. He was an influence for many great philosophers and mathematicians to come. He discovered and created many amazing things we use today.

Pythagoras was born in 570 B.C. in Samos, Greece. He was motivated to interpret the whole world in terms of numbers and mathematics. Pythagoras was taught by Ionian philosophers Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes. Thales “discovered” the constellation Ursa Minor, and developed geometry. As Pythagoras grew up, he went on trading trips with his dad, Mnesarchus. That helped him with some of the adventures he had later in life. His adventures in his early years helped push him toward his accomplishments later in life.

Pythagoras’ philosophy changed math and the way we look at the world. Pythagoras “discovered” the Pythagorean theorem. The Pythagorean theorem states that the area of a square whose side is the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares on the other two sides (a²+b²=c²). He believed that the world runs on interactions of opposites. “If there be light, then there is darkness; if cold, heat; if height, depth; if solid, fluid; if hard, soft; if rough, smooth; if calm, tempest; if prosperity, adversity; if life, death.” He discovered that both the morning and evening stars are Venus. Pythagoras believed that each number has its own meaning. For example, he thought ten is the most complete number because it is the sum of the first four numbers ( 1+2+3+4=10). Pythagoras was also a musician and he realized that vibrating strings only produce harmonious sounds when the ratio between the strings is an integer and not in between. Pythagoras’ work continues to affect the world today.

Pythagoras’ philosophy was carried on by his followers. Some philosophers, later on, that followed Pythagoreanism were: Alcmaeon, Hippasus, Philolaus, and Archytas. Pythagoreanism is based on the ways of life and beliefs of Pythagoras. Alcmaeon, a later philosopher of Pythagoreanism is said to be one of the greatest philosophers, naturalists, and neuroscientists of all time. Pythagoras once said, “ You should do great things and not promise great things,” and that’s what he did. Pythagoras is often referred to as the “Father of Numbers” or the “First Pure Mathematician.” It is because of Pythagoras, that we have this great insight about science, astrology, and mathematics.

Pythagoras discovered and shared many things with us that we use today. He influenced many people later in Greece and through them, came western philosophy. He was one of the people to start all the things that we know and do today.

Works Cited

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