Pythagoras: Great Philosopher’s that brought an impact on culture in such diverse

fields.

The Life of Pythagoras

Pythagoras known as the father of Philosophy. Born in Samos about 580 B.C.E.

His father Mnesarchus and his mother Parthenis visited the oracle of Delphi and told

him that her wife bears a son that excels in grace and wisdom. Pythagoras was one of

the well-known sages before the Socrates era in Ancient Philosophy and most

influential figures of all time. Which he diverse himself in mathematics, sciences, music,

mysticism, and religion. 

This early sage was accepted by some as a Hero, meaning that he was, indeed,

a virtuous man who possessed divine powers. He was regarded as one who had come

to earth for the specific purpose of enlightening mankind. he sought to produce an

advanced type of human being-the insightful, creative man of character, inquiring mind,

depth of feeling, thoughtful disposition, practical understanding, and above all, spiritual

sensibility.

His contributions are categorized into 10 different fields:

1. Metempsychosis

One of Pythagoras’ fundamental principles seems to have been

metempsychosis, which is the belief that all spirits are godlike and that after death a

spirit moves into another body. He is believed to have been reincarnated into the

scholar Hermotimus, who beheld the shield of Euphorbus in the sanctuary of Apollo. His

last manifestation was as Pyrrhus, a fisherman from Delos.

1. Drake, H. Pythagoras: ‘Introduction on Pythagoras’, Pythagoras His life and teaching by Thomas
Stanley, 1687 ed. (Lake Worth,FL:Ibis Press,2010).Pg.21
2. S. Adhikari, ‘Contribution of Pythagoras’, Ancient History List, (June 25,2019).
https://www.ancienthistorylists.com/people/top-contributions-pythagoras/
2. Numerology

As indicated by Aristotle, the Pythagoreans used science in the areas of mystery

and spiritualism without functional application. The basic unit, the monad, spoke of the

birthplace of all things, and the number two, the dyad, referred to matter. The number

seven was sacred because it was the number of planets, the number of strings on a

lyre, and because Apollo’s birthday was celebrated on the seventh day of each month.

3. The Public Way of Life

Both Plato and the ancient orator Isocrates suggest that Pythagoras was an

advocate for a new way of life. The school, or organization, that Pythagoras established

at Croton operated much like a monastery, and its members shared their assets in

much the same way. They were also committed to one another to the exclusion of

outsiders. One Pythagorean saying was koinà tà phílōn which meant “All things in like

manner among friends.”

4. Music and Lifestyle

The pursuit of music may have been associated with the love of Apollo. The

Pythagoreans believed that music was a purification for the spirit and had a similar

effect to that which medicine produced on the body. One of Pythagoras’ stories reports

that when he witnessed some inebriated youths attempting to break into a lady’s home,

he sang to them, and the young men’s “furious persistence” was silenced.

2, Ibid
5. Cosmology

Pythagoras was the first person to suggest that the earth was a sphere, but it is

not clear what led him to that conclusion. It is possibly connected to his belief that

circles were the strongest shape.

6. Mathematics

Pythagoras started the idea of a numerical system, and therefore the beginning

of mathematics. To the Pythagoreans, genuine numbers were the most vital thing, and

numbers make up the world.

7. Religious Lessons

Pythagoras’ religious lessons were based on the principle of metempsychosis,

which states that the spirit never dies and is bound to a cycle of reincarnation until it can

free itself from this through virtue.

8. Pythagoras’ Theorem

Pythagoras is most famous for his ideas in geometry. He was the first to propose

that the square of the hypotenuse (the side of the triangle opposite to the right angle) is

equivalent to the sum of the squares of the opposite two sides.

2, Ibid
9. Early Christianity

The historian Eusebius compares Pythagoras to Moses, while Augustine of

Hippo (354–430 AD), the early Christian theologian and philosopher, dismissed

Pythagoras’ theory of metempsychosis without actually naming him, yet generally

communicated profound respect for him. In On the Trinity, Augustine discusses

Pythagoras’ modesty in referring to himself as an “admirer of insight” rather than a

“sage.” At around a similar time, Neopythagoreanism started to become more

prominent, and the first century Neopythagorean logician Moderatus of Gades was

instrumental in developing Pythagorean number philosophy and categorizing the spirit

as a “sort of numerical harmony.”

10. Pythagoras’ Philosophy

Pythagoras established the mysterious society of the Pythagoreans in southern

Italy. The Pythagoreans put forward a hypothesis that stated that everything known to

humankind could be clarified with numbers, explicitly entire numbers. This rationale

made perfect sense to them, and it is easy to see why. Even today, we use numbers for

everything from working out wind speeds in a storm to calculating the speed of a

vehicle.

2, Ibid
 On the Ancient Era of the development of philosophy, Pythagoras expound a lot

of things on different fields and even now it has a huge impact in our culture in terms of

education, politics, society, and etc. As we figure out on all his views, discoveries and

theory we able to think how great it is. As far I am concerned on all his works, is clearly

stated how he believes on reincarnation and most of the other religions are still practice

this kind of norm. He also stated on his life about music, which it brings calm to body,

and I agree with not just by in terms of fun but it also divert the attention of person to live

happily. He also shares into a new way of life.

On the other field of science, in contemporary era still use his theory. Like the

famous Pythagorean theorem which common use in infrastructures in construction.

Cosmology, he suggests that the earth is a sphere, which now we called it Oblate

Spheroid the shape of the planet. To give insights to his religious views about the soul

never dies. In our Christian faith we believe that soul never dies but only the physical

body dies. But we don’t acknowledge the believed of reincarnation as Christian because

we believe on resurrection that the soul will return to God.

Inconclusion, Pythagoras considered as the father of philosophy. As we see on

his teachings and his contribution on different field of science, astronomy, medicine, and

etc.

We can’t deny how big his impact about his work to the modern time. He [ CITATION

Hen10 \l 1033 ]believes on reincarnation, first who do most on music, discovering new

things around him.

2, Ibid