Pythagoras of Samos

Pythagoras of Samos (Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος; ca. 570 - 490 BCE) was a Greek philosopher of classical antiquity and the originator of a universal system of thought called Pythagoreanism. He is also credited with coining the term philosopher, which means "wisdom-lover".

The consensus view on the time of Pythagoras' birth places it about fifty years following the Sack of Ninevah, during the Late Archaic Period of Greece. His early life was lived on the eastern Aegean island of Samos, under the rule of the tyrant Polycrates, during the Babylonian Exile.

Pythagoras is best known as a mystic, mathematician, and natural philosopher, although he was also a husband and father.  A contemporary of Cyrus the Great and Nebuchadnezzar II, it was written by

According to Aristoxenus, Pythagoras decided to leave his homeland of Samos during the time of Cyrus the Great. Seeking to escape the local tyranny, Pythagoras set upon a global expedition seeking the perennial wisdom, especially as it pertained to the origins and nature of the gods. He is thought to have had affinity with the Orphic Cult of Apollo.

The works of Pythagoras span the whole domain of the quadrivium, and have been passed to us from Antiquity as the Pythagorean Theorem, Golden Mean (Phi) Ratio, Pythagorean Tuning (Diatonic Scale) and the Tetractys. However, recent evidence has confirmed that these concepts did not originate with Pythagoras but were extant in his day from a lost civilization that was at least as distant to Pythagoras as he is to us the present.

He also made contributions to the development of thought outside of the classical quadrivium, most notably in ethics. In partnership with Themistoclea, Priestess of Delphi, Pythagoras developed a system of ethics which became codified into The Golden Verses. This collection of sayings was translated from Greek into French by the 18 - 19th century hermeticist Antoine Fabre d'Olivet. The works of d'Olivet later passed to Alexandre Saint-Yves d'Alveydre. An English compilation was written in 1903 by Florence Firth, and introduced by Annie Besant.

promoted a doctrine of the immortality and transmigration of souls (metempsychosis) which bears large resemblance to the teachings of Orphism.

One of Pythagoras' most enigmatic doctrines is that of the Music of the Spheres, a part-mystical, part-mathematical philosophy that bears strong resemblance to certain teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism. Pythagoras is also said to have practiced divination, prophecy, and theurgy. He believed that certain types of music could effect healing.

Though there are aspects of Pythagorean doctrine that draw from the ascetic roots of Orphism it was also tempered by the idea of moderation as expressed by Cleobulus of Lindus and Solon of Athens.  There is also disagreement as to Pythagoras' opinion as to veganism and vegetarianism though it is known that he advocated for daily gymnastics and meditative practice.  The daily regimens had a Spartan-like quality to them, similar to those promoted by Chilon of Sparta.

Pythagorean contributions to medicine include development of the concept of katharsis as presented in orphism to account for the principle of individuality and cautioning against a "one size fits all" mentality. Pythagoreanism promoted a balance between scientific and rational methods as well as empirical and intuitive methods.

This method of acquiring wisdom by placing focus on the commonalities, rather than the differences, between alternative modes of thought has come to be known as dialectic, and is often contrasted to debate and rhetoric.

Pythagoras is thought to have founded a society that integrated science, religion, and philosophy into a single cohesive way of life. This society was known as the Pythagoreans, and was based in Croton. Candidates were evaluated for membership based on their ability to maintain silence (echemythia) and once having taken their vow, there were still further tests of character one was required to pass before being initiated into more esoteric layers of wisdom.

That the Pythagoreans were conceptually divided into an inner circle called the mathematikoi (learners)and an outer circle called the akousmatikoi (listeners) may have contributed to elitism which was amplified by the fracturation of the two groups following Pythagoras' death and which was centered around a difference of opinion with regard to Pythagoras' pupil Hippasus.

Pythagoreans are said to have displayed secret hand gestures to one another in order to recognize a fellow member and to have become increasingly indifferent toward those who were not members of the secret society. As a result, Pythagoreans were held in disfavor by those who valued an open and democratic society as promoted by Pittacus of Mytilene and this eventually drove them deeper underground.

Though seemingly lost to antiquity, the elitist esotericism of the Pythagorean secret society still lives on today in the philosophies of those such as the Martinists while Pythagoras' works continue to be studied and applied by modern musicians, scientists, and philosophers around the globe.

Sources

Pythagoras. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philospohy
Pythagoras, Sage of Samos
History of Western Philosophy
Harmony of the Spheres
Themistoclea | 600 BCE | Greece
Firth, Besant (1904) Golden Verses of Pythagoras

Dr. Matthew Marturano offers naturopathic medicine for holistic health and wellness. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Michigan Association of Naturopathic Physicians and is the Director of Strategic Development for Orchid Holistic Search.