Who was Pythagoras?

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Pythagoras of Samos he was one of the great pre-Socratic philosophers and mathematicians of Ancient Greece.

According to him "everything is number”, phrase that indicates an explanation for reality and everything that exists in the world. He was attributed the use and creation of the terms “philosopher” and “mathematics”.

Biography of Pythagoras

Image of Pythagoras surrounded by objects representing mathematics, music and astronomy

Pythagoras was born on the Greek island of Samos, off the Ionian coast, in 570 BC. Ç. He studied mathematics, astronomy, music, literature and philosophy in his hometown.

He was guided in the Greek city of Miletus by one of the greatest pre-Socratic philosophers: Miletus Tales.

However, his revolutionary ideas for the time led him to be persecuted. At that time, he moved to Crotona (southern Italy), a region known as Magna Graecia.

It was there that he founded a school of mystical-philosophical character that became known as “Pythagorean School”.

However, he was pursued again, leaving Crotona for Egypt, where by observing the pyramids, he created the Pythagoras Theorem.

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The philosopher died in Metaponto, in the southern region of Italy, in 490 BC. Ç. with approximately 80 years.

Pythagoreanism

According to Pythagoras, numbers are the basis of life on earth. From that firstfruits, the Pythagoreanism (or Pythagorean School), being the Pythagoreans his followers, among which the following stand out: Themistocleia, Philolaus of Crotona, Archytas of Tarento, Alcmeão and Melissa.

At school, he taught in the areas of 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 theory of Pythagoras 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 freed from the body after death.

That is, they believed in reincarnation and the development of human virtues while the soul was imprisoned in the body during life.

As a result, men could reincarnate in a higher form of existence, according to the virtues gained during the earthly trajectory.

In addition to the famous "Theorem of Pythagoras", the Pythagoreans discovered figured numbers and perfect numbers.

In the field of astronomy, Pythagoras also put forward 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 valid to calculate the size of the right triangles and it has a myriad of applications especially in construction in general.

hypotenuse hairpin — The right triangle and the formula of the Pythagorean theorem

Phrases of Pythagoras

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 to your father, mother and all your relatives. Educate the children and you won't need to punish men.”
“The philosopher does not own the truth, nor does he have all the knowledge of the world. He's just a person who is a friend of knowledge.”
“Animals share with us the privilege of having a soul.”