Pythagoras: The Path Of Life

Just who is Pythagoras, you may ask? Well, I am Pythagoras, perhaps you can even consider me the greatest Greek philosopher and mathematician alive. I am the very founder of the Pythagorean brotherhood, a group that is devoted to the study of mathematics. I made many contributions to many different areas, including math, music, and astronomy.

Now, to tell you more about myself, we must go back to my humble beginnings. I was born on the island of Samos in 570BC, to my father Mnesarchus, a gem merchant, and my mother Pythais. Here, I spend most of my early childhood, spending time with my brothers but also accompanying my father on his trading trips. In fact, he once took me to Tyre, a place where I studied under scholars from Syria. There, I began studying under many different teachers. Specifically, I learnt poetry and even could recite Homer. I also learnt how to play the lyre, which later developed into one of my fine interests as well. However, apart from learning from scholars in Syria, I also studied under the wise men of Chaldea.

When I was just eighteen years of age, I travelled to Miletus to meet Thales, a Master of Mathematics and astronomy. However, by then, he was far too old to teach me. Despite this, our meeting inspired me to pursue my interests in science, mathematics and astronomy. Also, he student, Anaximander taught me instead of his astronomical and geometrical theories.

After a few years, I then left to study under the temple priests in Egypt under the advice of Thales in 535BC. There, I stayed for around ten years and after completing the necessary rites, I first gained admission into the temple of Diospolis and was accepted into priesthood. Furthermore, during these ten years, I was also able to study under the Egyptian priest Oenuphis of Heliopolis.

However, I was later captured and taken prisoner to Babylon after Emperor Cambyses II of Persia conquered Egypt in 525BC. But when I did arrive I Babylon, I decided to associate myself to the Persians priests known as the magi. Under their guidance, I was able to begin studying mathematics and mathematical sciences as well as music. However, when Cambyses II of Persia died in 522BC and Polycrates, the tyrannical ruler of Somas, was also killed, I was able to return to Somas, which I did.

When I finally arrived back in Samos in 520BC, I opened a school and called it the Semicircle, where I began teaching people my philosophy of life, which was based on my own personal ideas, mathematics, and mysticism, which is the belief that certain symbols have a mystical significance, from Egypt and the East. However, it appeared that my method of teaching was far too different and was not popular with the leaders of Samos. At the same time, these leaders desired me to become involved with politics, which did not appeal to me, so I left for Croton, a Greek colony in Southern Italy in 518BC.

Here, I began teaching in full scale and gathered a band of followers. I then founded a philosophical and religious school, where many of my beloved followers, now called Pythagoreans, lived and worked. I, of course, allowed both men and women to enter. In this school, I taught my students of my many beliefs. Such as how all things are numbers and how mathematics is the basis for everything and how the physical world can be understood through mathematics. Furthermore, I also taught that numbers have personalities, characteristics, strengths and weaknesses.

In terms of my religious teachings, I taught my students based on the doctrine of metempsychosis, which teaches that the soul is immortal, and the soul resides in the brain. This is as it moves from one being to another, sometimes from a human into an animal, through a series of reincarnations until it becomes pure through music and mathematics. I also taught my students about mysticism and that the interaction between the opposites was an essential feature of the world.

It was also here, in Croton, where I founded the Pythagorean brotherhood, where the Pythagoreans were divided into two sects, both of which I was the master of. Those who lived and worked at the school are known as the mathematikoi or learners. They are a part of my inner circle and live according to rules which define what they eat, wear and speak. As they are my most devoted followers, they are also trusted with the most important mathematical secrets and also have no personal possessions and are also strictly vegetarians as well. On the other hand, my followers who lived outside the school, are known as akousmatics or listeners. As they are a part of the larger outer circle of members, they do not have to follow my orders as strictly as the inner circle. Meaning that they are allowed to have their own personal properties and eat non-vegetarian food. They also only attend my school only during the day.

Now, as I mentioned before, I played the lyre. It is through this instrument that allowed me to contribute to the area of music. This is as I believed that, like everything else, music is based on whole number ratios. This is as I noticed that the vibrating strings produce harmonious tones only when the ratios between the lengths of the strings are proportional to whole numbers, such as 2:1, 3:2, 4:3. I then later realized that these ratios could be extended to other instruments as well.

In terms of my contributions to astronomy, I taught that the Earth was a sphere at the centre of the Cosmos. I also believe that that the planets, stars, and the universe were spherical because the sphere was the most perfect solid figure. Furthermore, I also taught that the paths of the planets were circular. I also divided the Earth into five climactic zones and was able to recognise the morning star was the same as the evening star, Venus.

However, despite my large contributions to the areas of both math and music, I have perhaps contributed to the area of mathematics the most. This is as my followers and I believed that the basis of everything in the universe is numbers and that numbers have their own existence and don’t need to be associated with real objects to become real. Furthermore, I discovered and provided proof of irrational numbers and discovered platonic solids, which are five highly symmetrical, regular 3D solids. These solids include the tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron and icosahedron. I also devised the tetractys, the triangular figure of four rows which add up to ten, which I believe to be the most complete number.

However, despite these findings, I am perhaps known for the area of geometry, which I personally believe to be the highest form of mathematical studies. In fact, my most famous contribution to maths overall is the proof of my own theorem, known as Pythagoras’ theorem. Furthermore, some may argue that this theorem was already discovered by the Babylonians. However, I was the first to prove it for all right-angled triangles, as I proved that the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. My theorem is written as c^2=a^2+b^2 where a and b are the two shorter sides and c is the hypotenuse, which is the longest side of a right-angled triangle and is always the side that is opposite to the right angle. In fact, my theorem provides a way of finding the length of the third side in a triangle if the lengths of the other sides are already known.