Mathematician · 570 BC – 495 BC
Pythagoras
Key Takeaways
- Pythagoras founded Pythagoreanism, blending mathematics, music and mysticism.
- The Pythagorean theorem about right triangles bears his name.
- He taught that numbers and harmony underlie the structure of reality.
- His ideas deeply influenced Plato and the Western scientific tradition.
Pythagoras stands at the meeting point of mathematics, music and mysticism in classical Greece. Though wreathed in legend, he founded a tradition — Pythagoreanism — built on a single radical idea: that number underlies the structure of reality.
Mathematics and harmony
The Pythagoreans discovered that musical intervals correspond to simple whole-number ratios, suggesting that harmony itself is mathematical. The famous Pythagorean theorem relating the sides of a right triangle bears his school’s name. For Pythagoras, to study mathematics was to glimpse the order of the cosmos.
A secretive brotherhood
His followers formed a tight-knit community in southern Italy with strict rules of life, crediting their collective discoveries to the master — which is why so little can be pinned to Pythagoras himself.
Influence
The Pythagorean vision of a universe governed by number passed to Plato and, through him, into the heart of Western thought. The conviction that nature is written in the language of mathematics runs from Pythagoras straight to modern physics.
Influence
Pythagoras's belief that the universe is structured by number and harmony shaped Plato, Greek science, and ultimately the mathematical worldview at the heart of modern physics.
Legacy
His name endures in the theorem every student learns, and his vision of a mathematical cosmos remains foundational to science.
Controversies
- Little can be reliably attributed to Pythagoras himself, as his followers credited their discoveries to him.
Notable Quotes
“Number is the ruler of forms and ideas, and the cause of gods and demons.”
Connections
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Pythagoras?
Pythagoras (c. 570–495 BC) was a Greek mathematician and philosopher who founded Pythagoreanism and is remembered for the Pythagorean theorem and the idea that number underlies reality.
What is the Pythagorean theorem?
It states that in a right triangle the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides (a² + b² = c²).
Citations & Sources
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