Pythagoras, born around 580-570 BC on the island of Samos, son of a carver precious stones or the merchant Mnesarchus, was a man gifted with remarkable physical beauty and great mental strength.

In the news that has reached us, his life is clothed in a mythical and mystical fog. In his youth, Pythagoras diligently studied mathematics, geometry and music; according to Heraclitus, there was no man who worked so hard and with such success to research the truth and acquired such extensive knowledge. There is news that he studied philosophy with Pherecydes. To expand his knowledge, Pythagoras traveled for a long time: he lived in European Greece, Crete, and Egypt; legend says that the priests of the Egyptian religious center, Heliopolis, initiated him into the mysteries of their wisdom.

Pythagoras. Bust in the Capitoline Museum, Rome. Photo by Galilea

When Pythagoras was about 50 years old, he moved from Samos to the southern Italian city of Croton to engage in practical activities there, for which there was no scope in Samos, which fell under the rule of tyrant Polycrates. The citizens of Croton were courageous people who did not succumb to the temptations of luxury and voluptuous effeminacy, who loved to do gymnastics, were strong in body, active, and sought to glorify themselves with brave deeds. Their way of life was simple, their morals were strict. Pythagoras soon gained many listeners, friends, and followers among them with his teaching, which preached self-control, aimed at the harmonious development of a person’s mental and physical powers, with his majestic appearance, impressive manners, the purity of his life, his abstinence: he ate only honey, vegetables, fruits, bread. Like the Ionian philosophers (Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes), Pythagoras was engaged in research about nature, about the structure of the universe, but he followed a different path in his research, studied quantitative relationships between objects, and tried to formulate them in numbers. Having settled in a Dorian city, Pythagoras gave his activities a Dorian, practical direction. That system of philosophy, which is called Pythagorean, was developed, in all likelihood, not by him himself, but by his students - the Pythagoreans. But her main thoughts belong to him. Pythagoras himself already found a mysterious meaning in numbers and figures, saying that “ number is the essence of things; the essence of an object is its number", placed harmony as the supreme law of the physical world and moral order. There is a legend that he brought the hecatomb to the gods when he discovered a geometric theorem, which is called after him: “in a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the legs.”

Pythagoras and the Pythagorean school made bold, although in many ways fantastic, attempts to explain the structure of the universe. They believed that all celestial bodies, including the earth itself, which has a spherical shape, and another planet, which they called opposite to the earth, move in circular orbits around a central fire, from which they receive life, light and heat. The Pythagoreans believed that the orbits of the planets were in proportions to each other corresponding to the intervals of the tones of the seven-string cithara and that from this proportionality of the distances and times of revolution of the planets the harmony of the universe arises; They set the goal of human life for the soul to acquire a harmonious mood, through which it becomes worthy to return to the realm of eternal order, to the god of light and harmony.

The philosophy of Pythagoras soon received a practical direction in Croton. The fame of his wisdom attracted many disciples to him, and he formed them piPhagorean League, whose members were raised to purity of life and to observance of all moral laws" religious rites dedication, moral precepts and the adoption of special customs.

According to the legends that have reached us about the Pythagorean union, it was a religious and political society consisting of two classes. Upper class of the Pythagorean Union there were Esotericists, whose number could not exceed 300; they were initiated into secret teachings union and knew the final goals of its aspirations; The lower class of the union consisted of Exotericists, uninitiated into the sacraments. Acceptance into the category of Pythagorean Esotericists was preceded by a strict test of the life and character of the student; during this test he had to remain silent, search his heart, work, obey; I had to accustom myself to renunciation of the vanity of life, to asceticism. All members of the Pythagorean Union led a moderate, morally strict lifestyle according to established rules. They were going to do gymnastic exercises and mental labors; dined together, did not eat meat, did not drink wine, and performed special liturgical rituals; had symbolic sayings and signs, but with which they recognized each other; They wore linen clothes of a special cut. There is a legend that community of property was introduced in the Pythagorean school, but it seems that this is a fiction of later times. The fabulous embellishments that cloud the news about the life of Pythagoras also extend to the union founded by him. Unworthy members were disgracefully expelled from the union. The moral commandments of the union and the rules of life for its members were set out in the “Golden Sayings” of Pythagoras, which probably had a symbolic and mysterious character. The members of the Pythagorean League were devoted to their teacher with such reverence that the words “he himself said” were considered undoubted proof of the truth. Inspired by a love of virtue, the Pythagoreans formed a brotherhood in which the individual’s personality was completely subordinated to the goals of society.

The foundations of Pythagorean philosophy were number and harmony, the concepts of which coincided for the Pythagoreans with the ideas of law and order. The moral precepts of their union were aimed at establishing law and harmony in life, therefore they intensively studied mathematics and music, as by the best means to bring the soul a calm, harmonious mood, which was for them the highest goal of education and development; They diligently practiced gymnastics and medicine to bring strength and health to the body. These rules of Pythagoras and the solemn service of Apollo, the god of purity and harmony, corresponded general concepts Greek people, whose ideal was “beautiful and a kind person", and in particular they corresponded to the dominant trend of the citizens of Croton, who had long been famous as athletes and doctors. Pythagorean moral and religious teachings had many details that strangely contradicted the claims of the Pythagorean system to mathematical thoroughness; but the energetic, deep desire of the Pythagoreans to find a “unifying connection”, a “law of the universe”, to bring human life into harmony with the life of the universe, had beneficial results in practical terms.

Members of the Pythagorean school strictly performed the duties that were prescribed to them by the “golden sayings” of the teacher; they not only preached, but also practiced piety, respect and gratitude to parents and benefactors, obedience to the law and authorities, fidelity to friendship and marriage, fidelity this word, abstinence in pleasures, moderation in everything, meekness, justice and other virtues. The Pythagoreans tried with all their might to curb their passions, suppress all unclean impulses in themselves, “to protect harmonious calm in their souls; they were friends of order and law. They behaved peacefully, judiciously, tried to avoid any actions and words that violated public silence; from their manners, from the tone of the conversation, it was clear that they were people enjoying an unperturbed peace of mind. The blissful consciousness of the inviolability of mental peace constituted the happiness that the Pythagorean strove for. At the end of the evening, getting ready to go to bed, the Pythagorean was obliged to play the cithara so that its sounds would give the soul a harmonious mood.

Pythagorean hymn to the sun. Artist F. Bronnikov, 1869

It goes without saying that the union to which the noblest and most influential people of Croton and other Greek cities of southern Italy belonged could not but have an influence on social life, for government affairs; according to the concepts of the Greeks, the dignity of a person consisted in his civic activity. And indeed we find that not only in Croton, but also in Locri, Metapontus, Tarentum and other cities, the members of the Pythagorean school acquired influence in the management of public affairs, that in the meetings of the government council they usually had a predominance due to the fact that they acted unanimously. The Pythagorean Union, being a religious and moral society, was at the same time a political club ( heteria); they had a systematic way of thinking on matters of domestic policy; they formed a full political party. According to the nature of Pythagoras' teaching, this party was strictly aristocratic; they wanted an aristocracy to rule, but an aristocracy of education, not nobility. Seeking to transform government agencies According to their concepts, to push ancient noble families out of government and not to allow democracy, which required political morals, to participate in government, they incurred the enmity of both noble families and democrats. It seems, however, that the resistance on the part of the aristocrats was not very stubborn, partly because the teaching of the Pythagoreans itself had an aristocratic direction, partly because almost all the Pythagoreans belonged to aristocratic families; however, Kilon, who became the leader of their opponents, was an aristocrat.

The Pythagoreans were greatly hated by the Democratic Party for their arrogance. Proud of his education, his new philosophy, which showed them heavenly and earthly affairs not in the light in which they were presented according to popular belief. Proud of their virtues and their rank as initiates of the mysteries, they despised the crowd, who mistook the “ghost” for the truth, irritated the people by alienating them and speaking in a mysterious language incomprehensible to them. Sayings attributed to Pythagoras have reached us; perhaps they do not belong to him, but they express the spirit of the Pythagorean union: “Do what you consider good, even if it exposes you to the danger of expulsion; the crowd is not able to correctly judge noble people; despise her praise, despise her censure. Respect your brothers as gods, and consider other people as despicable rabble. Fight the Democrats irreconcilably."

With this way of thinking of the Pythagoreans, their death as a political party was inevitable. The destruction of the city of Sybaris resulted in a catastrophe that destroyed the Pythagorean alliance. Their public meeting houses were burned everywhere, and they themselves were killed or driven out. But the teachings of Pythagoras survived. Partly due to its inner dignity, partly due to people’s inclination towards the mysterious and miraculous, it had adherents in later times. The most famous of the Pythagoreans of the following centuries were Philolaus And Archytas, contemporaries of Socrates, and Lysis, teacher of the great Theban general Epaminondas.

Pythagoras died around 500; Tradition says that he lived to be 84 years old. Adherents of his teaching considered him a holy man, a miracle worker. The fantastic thoughts of the Pythagoreans, their symbolic language and strange expressions gave rise to the Attic comedians laugh at them; in general, they carried to the extreme the ostentation of learning, for which Heraclitus condemned Pythagoras. Their wonderful stories about Pythagoras, his life was shrouded in mythical fog; all news about his personality and activities are distorted by fabulous exaggerations.

The religious beliefs of the Pythagoreans are nothing more than threads that connect this teaching with the East. These threads begin and end in knots, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to untangle these knots. Did Pythagoras really penetrate the secrets of the Egyptian priests and did he derive from there his conviction that the body is the grave of the soul, as well as his belief in the immortality of souls, in their judgment and their transmigration? Was the founder of the great Greek teaching in Babylon and not under the influence Zend-Avesta transferred to Greece the commission of bloodless sacrifices? Did he penetrate into India and borrow the theory of vision from the Brahmins? The travels of Pythagoras are one of the favorites of the explorers of the East and the subject of attacks for all those who deny originality Greek philosophy. Wanting to deny borrowings, these researchers usually deny the travel itself.

It is not impossible that his father's trading affairs could have led Pythagoras to travel to Egypt, Babylon and even India, but he could have derived his religious beliefs from another source. Namely: the doctrine of the immortality of the soul attributed to Pythagoras is already found in Hesiod, and Orphic theogonies are imprinted with other features characterizing his beliefs. Herodotus mentions the Egyptian origin of the Orphic and Pythagorean mysteries (II, 49, 81, 123). But whether these elements were brought into Pythagoreanism directly or through the Orphics is both difficult and immaterial to decide. An equally difficult and insignificant question is whether Pythagoras was a student of Pherecydes, the author of one of the theogonies, and whether it was from there that he borrowed the doctrine of the transmigration of souls into demons. What is incredible is that he was a student of the Milesian philosopher Anaximander, although there is a known connection between these teachings.

But the importance of Pythagoras’ teaching lies not in religious beliefs. Its meaning is a deep philosophical worldview.

Among other (almost 20) works, the Golden Poems are also attributed to Pythagoras, where many proverbial thoughts are found, as well as other deeper, but less well-known thoughts, such as “help the one who bears his burden, not to the one who is going to throw it off”, “the value of a statue lies in its form, the dignity of a person in his actions.” Pythagoras’ ideal was godlikeness and, according to his teaching, in order to become God, one had to first become a man. The teachings of Pythagoras had all the features of a vibrant ethical theory.

The personality of the Crotonian sage is charming. In the stories about him, Pythagoras is surrounded by an aura of beauty, eloquence and thoughtfulness. According to sources, "he never laughed." His biography is covered with a foggy haze: birth between 580 and 570. BC, resettlement from the island of Samos (off the coast of Asia Minor) to the southern Italian colony of Croton between 540 and 530, then flight to neighboring Metapontum and death in old age. This is all we know positive about Pythagoras.

Pythagorean doctrine of the universe

Like the Ionian sages, the Pythagorean school tried to explain the origin and structure of the universe. Thanks to their diligent studies in mathematics, the Pythagorean philosophers formed concepts about the structure of the world that were closer to the truth than those of other ancient Greek astronomers. Their concepts about the origin of the universe were fantastic. The Pythagoreans spoke about it this way: in the center of the universe a “central fire” was formed; they called it a monad, a “unit,” because it is “the first celestial body.” He is the “mother of the gods” (celestial bodies), Hestia, the hearth of the universe, the altar of the universe, its guardian, the dwelling of Zeus, his throne. By the action of this fire, according to the Pythagorean school, other celestial bodies were created; he is the center of power that maintains the order of the universe. He attracted to himself the nearest parts of the “infinite”, that is, the nearest parts of matter located in infinite space; gradually expanding, the action of this power, which introduced the limitless into limits, gave the structure of the universe.

Around the central fire, ten celestial bodies rotate in the direction from west to east; the most distant of them is the sphere of the fixed stars, which the Pythagorean school considered to be one continuous whole. The celestial bodies closest to the central fire are the planets; there are five of them. Further from it, according to Pythagorean cosmogony, are the sun, moon, earth and the celestial body, which is the opposite of the earth, antichthon, “counter-earth”. The shell of the universe is made up of “circumferential fire,” which the Pythagoreans needed in order for the circumference of the universe to be in harmony with its center. The central fire of the Pythagoreans, the center of the universe, constitutes the basis of order in it; he is the norm of everything, the connection of everything is in her. The earth rotates around a central fire; its shape is spherical; you can only live on the upper half of its circumference. The Pythagoreans believed that she and other bodies moved in circular paths. The sun and moon, globes composed of a glass-like substance, receive light and heat from the central fire and transmit it to the earth. She rotates closer to him than they do, but between him and her the counter-earth rotates, having the same path and the same period of its rotation as it; That is why the central fire is constantly closed by this body from the earth and cannot give light and warmth directly to it. When the earth, in its daily rotation, is on the same side of the central fire as the sun, then it is day on earth, and when the sun and it are on different sides, then it is night on earth. The path of the earth is inclined relative to the path of the sun; With this correct information, the Pythagorean school explained the change of seasons; in addition, if the path of the sun were not inclined relative to the path of the earth, then the earth, with each of its daily rotations, would pass directly between the sun and the central fire and would produce every day solar eclipse. But given the inclination of its path relative to the paths of the sun and moon, it is only occasionally on a straight line between the central fire and these bodies, and covering them with its shadow, produces their eclipses.

In Pythagorean philosophy, it was believed that celestial bodies are similar to the earth, and like it, they are surrounded by air. There are both plants and animals on the moon; they are much taller and more beautiful than on earth. The time of revolution of celestial bodies around the central fire is determined by the size of the circles they travel. The earth and counter-earth go around their circular paths per day, and the moon needs 30 days for this, the sun, Venus and Mercury need a whole year, etc., and the starry sky completes its circular revolution in a period the duration of which was not precisely determined by the Pythagorean school , but was thousands of years, and which was called the “great year.” The constant correctness of these movements is determined by the action of numbers; therefore number is the supreme law of the structure of the universe, the force that rules it. And the proportionality of numbers is harmony; therefore, the correct movement of celestial bodies should create harmony of sounds.

Harmony of the Spheres

This was the basis for the teaching of Pythagorean philosophy about the harmony of the spheres; it said that “celestial bodies, by their rotation around the center, produce a series of tones, the combination of which makes up an octave, harmony”; but the human ear does not hear this harmony, just as the human eye does not see the central fire. Only one of all mortals heard the harmony of the spheres, Pythagoras. For all the fantastic nature of its details, the teaching of the Pythagorean school about the structure of the universe constitutes, in comparison with the concepts of previous philosophers, great astronomical progress. Previously, the daily course of changes was explained by the movement of the sun near the earth; the Pythagoreans began to explain it by the movement of the earth itself; from their concept of the nature of its daily rotation it was easy to move to the concept that it rotates around its axis. It was only necessary to discard the fantastic element, and the truth was obtained: the counter-earth turned out to be the western hemisphere of the globe, the central fire turned out to be located in the center of the globe, the rotation of the earth around the central fire turned into the rotation of the earth around the axis.

Pythagorean doctrine of the transmigration of souls

The doctrine of numbers, of the combination of opposites, replacing disorder with harmony, served in the Pythagorean school of philosophy as the basis for a system of moral and religious duties. Just as harmony reigns in the universe, so it must rule in the individual and in the state life of people: here, too, unity must dominate over all heterogeneities, the odd, male element over the even, female, calm over movement. Therefore, the first duty of a person is to bring into harmony all the inclinations of the soul that are opposed to one another, to subordinate instincts and passions to the dominion of reason. According to Pythagorean philosophy, the soul is united with the body and the punishment for sins is buried in it, as in a prison. Therefore, she should not autocratically free herself from him. She loves him while she is connected to him, because she receives impressions only through the senses of the body. Freed from him, she leads a disembodied life in a better world.

But this better world The soul, according to the teachings of the Pythagorean school, enters into order and harmony only if it has established harmony within itself, if it has made itself worthy of bliss through virtue and purity. An inharmonious and impure soul cannot be accepted into the kingdom of light and eternal harmony, which is ruled by Apollo; she must return to earth for a new journey through the bodies of animals and people. So, the Pythagorean school of philosophy had concepts similar to the Eastern ones. She believed that earthly life– time of cleansing and preparation and future life; unclean souls prolong this period of punishment for themselves and must undergo rebirth. According to the Pythagoreans, the means of preparing the soul for returning to a better world are the same rules of purification and abstinence as in Indian, Persian and Egyptian religions. For them, like the Eastern priests, the necessary aids for a person on the path of earthly life were commandments about what formalities must be performed in various everyday situations, what food one can eat, what one should abstain from. According to the views of the Pythagorean school, a person should pray to the gods in white linen clothes, and he should also be buried in such clothes. The Pythagoreans had many similar rules.

By giving such commandments, Pythagoras conformed to popular beliefs and customs. The Greek people were not alien to religious formalism. The Greeks had purification rites, and their commoners had many superstitious rules. In general, Pythagoras and his philosophical school did not contradict popular religion as sharply as other philosophers. They only tried to clear people's concepts and talked about unity divine power. Apollo, the god of pure light, giving warmth and life to the world, the god of pure life and eternal harmony, was the only god to whom the Pythagoreans prayed and made their bloodless sacrifices. They served him, dressed in clean clothes, washed their bodies and took care to purify their thoughts; in his glory they sang their songs with the accompaniment of music and performed solemn processions.

From the Pythagorean kingdom of Apollo everything unclean, inharmonious, and disorderly was excluded; a person who was immoral, unjust, wicked on earth will not receive access to this kingdom; he will be reborn in the bodies of different animals and people until by this process of purification he achieves purity and harmony. To shorten the wanderings of the soul through different bodies, Pythagorean philosophy invented sacred, mysterious rituals (“orgies”), which improve the fate of the soul after the death of a person and provide it with eternal peace in the kingdom of harmony.

The followers of Pythagoras said that he himself was gifted with the ability to recognize in new bodies those souls that he knew before, and that he remembered his entire past existence in different bodies. Once in the Argive Arsenal, looking at one of the shields there, Pythagoras began to cry: he remembered that he wore this shield when he fought against the Achaeans besieging Troy; he was then the Euphorbus whom he killed Menelaus in the battle between the Trojans and Achaeans for the body of Patroclus. The life in which he was the philosopher Pythagoras was his fifth life on earth. Disembodied souls, according to the teachings of Pythagorean philosophy, are spirits (“demons”) that live either underground or in the air and quite often enter into relations with people. From them the Pythagorean school received its revelations and prophecies. Once Pythagoras, during his visit to the kingdom of Hades, saw that the souls of Homer and Hesiod were being subjected to severe torment there for their offensive inventions about the gods.

Name: Pythagoras of Samos

Years of life: 569 BC - 495 BC

State: Ancient Greece

Field of activity: Mathematician, Philosopher

Greatest Achievement: One of the greatest mathematicians who proved many theorems. Founder of the Pythagorean school.

He was born on the island of Samos (Greece), in 569 BC. According to various sources, the death of Pythagoras is recorded between 500 BC. and 475 BC in Metaponte (Italy).

Personal life of Pythagoras

His father, Mnesarchus, was a merchant of precious stones. His mother's name was Pyphaida. Pythagoras had two or three brothers.

Some historians say that Pythagoras was married to a woman named Theano and had a daughter, Miya, as well as a son named Thelaugus, who succeeded as a teacher of mathematics and may have taught Empedocles.

Others say that Theano was one of Pythagoras' students, not his wife, and it is possible that Pythagoras never married or had children.

Pythagoras was well educated, he played the lyre throughout his life, knew poetry and read Homer. He was interested in mathematics, philosophy, astronomy and music, and was greatly influenced by Pherecydes (philosophy), (mathematics and astronomy) and Anaximander (philosophy, geometry).

Pythagoras abandoned Samos around 535 BC. and went to Egypt to study with the priests in the temples. Many of the beliefs that Pythagoras later pursued in Italy were borrowed from the Egyptian priests, such as secret signs, the pursuit of purity, and not eating legumes or wearing animal skins as clothing.

Ten years later, when Persia invaded, Pythagoras was captured and sent to Babylon (now Iraq), where he met priests who taught him sacred rites. Iamblichus (250-330 AD), a Syrian philosopher, wrote about Pythagoras: “He also achieved perfection in arithmetic, music and other mathematical sciences, which were taught by the Babylonians...”.

In 520 BC. Pythagoras, now free man, left Babylon and returned to Samos, and after some time opened a school called “Semicircle”. However, his teachings were not popular with the rulers of the island of Samos, and their desire for Pythagoras' involvement in politics failed, so Pythagoras left and settled in Crotona, a Greek colony in southern Italy, around 518 BC.

There he founded a philosophical and religious school, where his many followers lived and worked.

School of Pythagoras

The Pythagoreans lived by special rules of behavior, including the rules that stated when to say what to wear and what to eat. Pythagoras was the head of the society, and his followers, both men and women who also lived there, were known as mathematicians. They had no personal belongings and were vegetarians.

• Another group of followers, who lived separately from the school, had the right to own personal property and not be vegetarians. They all worked together. Pythagoras believed:
  All things are numbers. Mathematics is the basis of everything, and geometry is the highest form of mathematical study. Physical world can be understood through mathematics.
• The soul resides in the brain and is immortal. It passes from one being to another, sometimes from human to animal, through a series of reincarnations called transmigrations, until the soul is pure. Pythagoras believed that mathematics and music could purify.
• Numbers have personality, characteristics, strengths and weaknesses.
• The world depends on the interaction of opposites, such as man and woman, light and dark, heat and cold, dryness and moisture, lightness and heaviness, speed and slowness.
• Certain symbols have mystical meanings.

Pythagorean theorems

All members of society were expected to observe strict loyalty and secrecy. Due to the strict secrecy among members of the Pythagorean society and the fact that they shared ideas and intellectual discoveries within the group and were closed to society, it is difficult to be sure whether all theorems attributed to Pythagoras originally belonged to him or were the property of the entire Pythagorean community .

Some of Pythagoras' students eventually wrote their theories, teachings and discoveries, but the Pythagoreans always gave honor to Pythagoras as their Teacher:

• The sum of the angles of a triangle is equal to two right angles.
• Pythagorean Theorem - For a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. The Babylonians realized this 1000 years before the discovery, but Pythagoras proved it.
• Constructing figures geometric algebra. For example, they solved various equations using geometric means.
• The discovery of irrational numbers is attributed to the Pythagoreans, but it is unlikely that this was Pythagoras' idea because it does not agree with his philosophy that all things are numbers, since number for him meant the ratio of two integers.
• Five regular solids (tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, icosahedron, dodecahedron). It is believed that Pythagoras only knew how to build the first three, but not the last two.
• Pythagoras taught that the Earth was a sphere at the center of the Cosmos (Universe); that the planets, stars and universe were spherical because the sphere was the most perfect figure. He also taught that the paths of the planets were circular. Pythagoras discovered that morning Star was the same as the evening star Venus.

Pythagoras studied odd and even numbers, triangular numbers and perfect numbers. The Pythagoreans contributed to the understanding of angles, triangles, areas, proportions, polygons, and polyhedrons.
Pythagoras also related music to mathematics. He played the seven-string lyre for a long time and discovered how harmonious the vibrating strings are when the lengths of the strings are proportional to whole numbers such as 2:1, 3:2, 4:3.

The Pythagoreans also realized that this knowledge could be applied to other musical instruments.

Death of Pythagoras

He is said to have been killed by an angry mob, the Syracusans, during . It is also said that Pythagoras' school in Croton was burned, as a result of which he went to Metapontus, where he died of starvation.

At least both stories include a scene in which Pythagoras refuses to trample the legume crop in the field in order to escape and save himself, because of which he, along with other Pythagoreans, was caught, and during an unequal battle, the students and Pythagoras himself died.

The Pythagorean Theorem is a cornerstone of mathematics and remains so interesting to mathematicians that there are over 400 different proofs of its solution, including the original proof of the 20th American President Garfield.

Pythagoras of Samos went down in history as one of the most outstanding intellectuals of mankind. There are many unusual things in him, and it seems that fate itself has prepared for him a special path in life.

Pythagoras created his own religious and philosophical school and became famous as one of the greatest mathematicians. His intelligence and intelligence were hundreds of years ahead of the time in which he lived.

Pythagoras of Samos

Brief biography of Pythagoras

Of course, a short biography of Pythagoras will not give us the opportunity to fully reveal this unique personality, but we will still highlight the main moments of his life.

Childhood and youth

The exact date of birth of Pythagoras is unknown. Historians suggest that he was born between 586-569. BC, on the Greek island of Samos (hence his nickname - “Samos”). According to one legend, Pythagoras' parents were predicted that their son would become a great sage and educator.

Pythagoras's father was called Mnesarchus, and his mother was Parthenia. The head of the family was engaged in processing precious stones, so the family was quite wealthy.

Upbringing and education

Already at an early age, Pythagoras showed interest in various sciences and arts. His first teacher was called Hermodamant. He laid the foundations of music, painting and grammar in the future scientist, and also forced him to memorize passages from Homer's Odyssey and Iliad.

When Pythagoras turned 18, he decided to go to Russia to gain even more knowledge and gain experience. This was a serious step in his biography, but it was not destined to come true. Pythagoras was unable to enter Egypt because it was closed to the Greeks.

Stopping on the island of Lesbos, Pythagoras began to study physics, medicine, dialectics and other sciences from Pherecydes of Syros. After living on the island for several years, he wanted to visit Miletus, where the famous philosopher Thales, who formed the first philosophical school in Greece, still lived.

Very soon, Pythagoras becomes one of the most educated and famous people of its time. However, after some time, drastic changes occur in the sage’s biography, as the Persian War began.

Pythagoras falls into Babylonian captivity and lives in captivity for a long time.

Mysticism and homecoming

Due to the fact that astrology and mysticism were popular in Babylon, Pythagoras became addicted to the study of various mystical sacraments, customs and supernatural phenomena. The entire biography of Pythagoras is full of all kinds of searches and solutions that so attracted his attention.

Having been in captivity for more than 10 years, he unexpectedly receives release personally from the Persian king, who knew firsthand about the wisdom of the learned Greek.

Once free, Pythagoras immediately returned to his homeland to tell his compatriots about the acquired knowledge.

School of Pythagoras

Thanks to his extensive knowledge, constant and oratory skills, he quickly manages to gain fame and recognition among the inhabitants of Greece.

At Pythagoras’s speeches there are always many people who are amazed at the philosopher’s wisdom and see in him almost a deity.

One of the main points in the biography of Pythagoras is the fact that he created a school based on his own principles of worldview. It was called that: the school of Pythagoreans, that is, followers of Pythagoras.

He also had his own teaching method. For example, students were prohibited from talking during classes and were not allowed to ask any questions.

Thanks to this, the students could cultivate modesty, meekness and patience.

These things may seem strange to a modern person, but we should not forget that in the time of Pythagoras the very concept schooling in our understanding simply did not exist.

Mathematics

In addition to medicine, politics and art, Pythagoras was very seriously involved in mathematics. He managed to make a significant contribution to the development of geometry.

Until now, in schools all over the world, the most popular theorem is considered to be the Pythagorean theorem: a 2 + b 2 =c 2. Every schoolchild remembers that “Pythagorean pants are equal in all directions.”

In addition, there is a “Pythagorean table”, with which it was possible to multiply numbers. In essence, this is a modern multiplication table, just in a slightly different form.

Numerology of Pythagoras

There is a remarkable thing in the biography of Pythagoras: all his life he was extremely interested in numbers. With their help, he tried to understand the nature of things and phenomena, life and death, suffering, happiness and other important issues of existence.

He associated the number 9 with constancy, 8 with death, and also paid great attention to the square of numbers. In this sense, the perfect number was 10. Pythagoras called ten a symbol of the Cosmos.

The Pythagoreans were the first to divide numbers into even and odd. Even numbers, according to the mathematician, had a feminine principle, and odd numbers had a masculine principle.

In those days when science as such did not exist, people learned about life and the world order as best they could. Pythagoras, like the great son of his time, tried to find answers to these and other questions with the help of figures and figures.

Philosophical teaching

The teachings of Pythagoras can be divided into two categories:

• Scientific approach
• Religiosity and mysticism

Unfortunately, not all of Pythagoras’s works have been preserved. And all because the scientist practically did not take any notes, transferring knowledge to his students orally.

In addition to the fact that Pythagoras was a scientist and philosopher, he can rightfully be called a religious innovator. In this, Leo Tolstoy was a little like him (we published it in a separate article).

Pythagoras was a vegetarian and encouraged his followers to do so. He did not allow students to eat food of animal origin, forbade them to drink alcohol, use foul language and behave indecently.

It is also interesting that Pythagoras did not teach ordinary people who sought to obtain only superficial knowledge. He accepted as disciples only those in whom he saw chosen and enlightened individuals.

Personal life

Studying the biography of Pythagoras, one may get the mistaken impression that he had no time for his personal life. However, this is not quite true.

When Pythagoras was about 60 years old, at one of his performances he met a beautiful girl named Feana.

They got married, and from this marriage they had a boy and a girl. So the outstanding Greek was a family man.

Death

Surprisingly, none of the biographers can say unambiguously how he died. great philosopher and mathematician. There are three versions of his death.

According to the first, Pythagoras was killed by one of his students whom he refused to teach. In a fit of anger, the killer set fire to the scientist's Academy, where he died.

The second version says that during the fire, the scientist’s followers, wanting to save him from death, created a bridge from their own bodies.

But the most common version of the death of Pythagoras is considered to be his death during an armed conflict in the city of Metapontus.

The great scientist lived more than 80 years, dying in 490 BC. e. During his long life he managed to do a lot, and he is quite rightly considered one of the most outstanding minds in history.

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Pythagoras of Samos (580-500 BC) - ancient Greek thinker, mathematician and mystic. He created the religious and philosophical school of the Pythagoreans.

The life story of Pythagoras is difficult to separate from the legends that present him as a perfect sage and a great initiate into all the mysteries of the Greeks and barbarians. Herodotus also called him “the greatest Hellenic sage.” The main sources on the life and teachings of Pythagoras are the works of the Neoplatonist philosopher Iamblichus, “On Pythagorean life"; Porphyry "Life of Pythagoras"; Diogenes Laertius, Pythagoras. These authors relied on the writings of earlier authors, of which it should be noted that Aristotle's student Aristoxenus was from Tarentum, where the Pythagoreans had a strong position.

short biography Pythagoras:

The earliest known sources about the teachings of this thinker appeared only 200 years after his death. However, it is on them that the biography of Pythagoras is based. He himself did not leave any works to his descendants, therefore all information about his teaching and personality is based only on the works of his followers, who were not always impartial.

Pythagoras was born in Sidon Phoenician around 580 (according to other sources around 570) BC. e. Pythagoras' parents are Parthenides and Mnesarchus from the island of Samos. Pythagoras' father was, according to one version, a stone cutter, according to another, a rich merchant who received citizenship of Samos for distributing bread during a famine. The first version is preferable, since Pausanias, who testified to this, gives the genealogy of this thinker. Parthenis, his mother, was later renamed Pyphaida by her husband. She came from the family of Ankeus, a noble man who founded a Greek colony on Samos.

The great biography of Pythagoras was supposedly predetermined even before his birth, which seemed to have been predicted at Delphi by the Pythia, which is why he was called that way. Pythagoras means "he who was announced by the Pythia." This fortuneteller allegedly told Mnesarchus that the future great person will bring as much good and benefit to people as no one else subsequently. To celebrate this, the child’s father even gave a new name to his wife, Pyphaida, and called his son Pythagoras “the one who was announced by Pythia.”

There is another version of the appearance of this name. Moreover, they say that this is a nickname, and he received it for his ability to speak the truth. On behalf of the priestess-soothsayer from the temple of Apollo Pythia. And its meaning is “persuasive by speech.”

The name of his first teacher is known. It was Hermodamas. This man, who instilled in the student a love of painting and music, introduced him to the Iliad and Odyssey.

When he was eighteen years old, Pythagoras left his native island. After several years spent traveling and meeting with sages from different lands, he arrived in Egypt. His plans include studying with priests and comprehending ancient wisdom. In this he is helped by a letter of recommendation from the tyrant of Samos Polycrates to Pharaoh Amasis. Now he has access to something that many foreigners cannot even dream of: not only mathematics and medicine, but also the sacraments. Pythagoras spent 22 years here. And he left the country as a prisoner of the king of Persia, Cambyses, who conquered Egypt in 525 BC. The next 12 years were spent in Babylon.

He was able to return to his native Samos only at 56, and was recognized by his compatriots as the wisest of people. He also had followers here. Many are attracted by mystical philosophy, healthy asceticism and strict morality. Pythagoras preached the moral ennoblement of the people. It could be achieved where power is in the hands of those who know and wise people, to which the people obey unconditionally in one thing and consciously in another, as a moral authority. It is Pythagoras who is traditionally credited with introducing such words as “philosopher” and “philosophy”.

The disciples of this thinker formed a religious order, a kind of brotherhood of initiates, which consisted of a caste of like-minded people who deified the teacher. This order actually came to power in Crotone. All members of the order became vegetarians, who were forbidden to eat meat or bring sacrificial animals to the gods. Eating food of animal origin is the same as engaging in cannibalism. History has even preserved funny practices in this almost religious order. For example, they did not allow swallows to build nests under the roofs of their houses, or could not touch white rooster, or there are beans. There is another version according to which the restriction applied only to certain types of meat.

At the end of the 6th century BC. e. Due to anti-Pythagorean sentiments, the philosopher had to go to Metapontum, another Greek colony, where he died. Here, 450 years later, during the reign of Cicero (1st century BC), the crypt of this thinker was shown as a local landmark. Like his date of birth, exact date The death of Pythagoras is unknown, it is only assumed that he lived 80 years.

Pythagoras, according to Iamblichus, headed secret society 39 years. Based on this, the date of his death is 491 BC. e., when the period of the Greco-Persian wars began. Referring to Heraclides, Diogenes said that this philosopher died at the age of 80, or even 90, according to other unnamed sources. That is, the date of death from here is 490 BC. e. (or, less likely, 480). In his chronology, Eusebius of Caesarea indicated 497 BC as the year of death of this thinker. e. Thus, the biography of this thinker is largely questionable.

Scientific achievements and works of Pythagoras:

The earliest known sources about the teachings of Pythagoras did not appear until 200 years after his death. Pythagoras himself did not leave any writings, and all information about him and his teachings is based on the works of his followers, who are not always impartial.

1) In the field of mathematics:

Pythagoras is today considered the great cosmologist and mathematician of antiquity, but early evidence does not mention such merits. Iamblichus writes about the Pythagoreans that they had a custom of attributing all achievements to their teacher. This thinker is considered by ancient authors to be the creator of the famous theorem that in a right triangle the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of its legs (Pythagorean theorem). Both the biography of this philosopher and his achievements are largely dubious. The opinion about the theorem, in particular, is based on the testimony of Apollodorus the calculator, whose identity has not been established, as well as on poetic lines, the authorship of which also remains a mystery. Modern historians suggest that this thinker did not prove the theorem, but could convey this knowledge to the Greeks, which was known 1000 years ago in Babylon before the time when the biography of the mathematician Pythagoras dates back to. Although there is doubt that this particular thinker was able to make this discovery, no compelling arguments can be found to challenge this point of view. In addition to proving the above theorem, this mathematician is also credited with the study of integers, their properties and proportions.

2) Aristotle’s discoveries in the field of cosmology:

Aristotle in his work “Metaphysics” touches on the development of cosmology, but the contribution of Pythagoras is not voiced in any way in it. The thinker we are interested in is also credited with the discovery that the Earth is round. However, Theophrastus, the most authoritative author on this issue, gives it to Parmenides. Despite controversial issues, the merits of the Pythagorean school in cosmology and mathematics are indisputable. According to Aristotle, the real ones were the acousmatists, who followed the doctrine of the transmigration of souls. They viewed mathematics as a science that came not so much from their teacher as from one of the Pythagoreans, Hippasus.

3) Works created by Pythagoras:

This thinker did not write any treatises. It was impossible to compile a work from oral instructions addressed to the common people. And the secret occult teaching, intended for the elite, could not be entrusted to the book either. Diogenes lists some of the titles of books that allegedly belonged to Pythagoras: “On Nature,” “On the State,” “On Education.” But for the first 200 years after his death, not a single author, including Aristotle, Plato, and their successors at the Lyceum and Academy, quotes from the works of Pythagoras or even indicates their existence. To ancient writers from the beginning new era the written works of Pythagoras were unknown. This is reported by Josephus, Plutarch, and Galen. A compilation of the sayings of this thinker appeared in the 3rd century BC. e. It's called "The Sacred Word". Later, the “Golden Poems” arose from it (which are sometimes attributed, without good reason, to the 4th century BC, when the biography of Pythagoras is considered by various authors).

4) Pythagoras mug:

Quite a clever invention. It is not possible to fill it to the brim, because the entire contents of the mug will immediately leak out. There should be liquid in it only up to a certain level. It looks like an ordinary mug, but what distinguishes it from others is the column in the center. It was called the “greed circle.” Even today in Greece it is in deserved demand. And for those who do not know how to limit their alcohol consumption, it is even recommended.

5) Oratorical talent:

No one questions it in Pythagoras. He was a great speaker. It is known for certain that after his very first public lecture, he had two thousand students. Entire families, imbued with the ideas of their teacher, were ready to begin new life. Their Pythagorean community became a kind of state within a state. All the rules and laws developed by the Teacher were in effect in their Magna Graecia. Property here was collective, even scientific discoveries, which, by the way, were attributed exclusively to Pythagoras, were attributed to his personal merits even when the teacher was no longer alive.

Pythagoras - quotes, aphorisms, sayings:

*Two things make a person godlike: living for the good of society and being truthful.

*Just as old wine is unsuitable for drinking a lot, so rude treatment is unsuitable for an interview.

*Take care of your children’s tears so that they can shed them at your grave.

*It is equally dangerous to give a sword to a madman and to a dishonest person to give power.

*Do not consider yourself a great person based on the size of your shadow at sunset.

*Of two people of equal strength, the one who is right is stronger.

*No matter how short the words “yes” and “no” are, they still require the most serious consideration.

*To learn the customs of any people, try to first learn their language.

*It is more useful to throw a stone at random than an empty word.

*Live with people so that your friends do not become enemies, and your enemies become friends.

*No one should exceed the limit in food or drink.

*Blessed be the divine number that gave birth to gods and men.

*Joke, like salt, should be consumed in moderation.

*In order to live long, buy yourself old wine and an old friend.

*Choose the best, and habit will make it pleasant and easy.

*During anger one should neither speak nor act.

*A statue is painted by its appearance, but a man by his deeds.

*Flattery is like a weapon in a painting. It brings pleasure, but no benefit.

*Don’t chase happiness: it is always within you.

30 interesting facts about Pythagoras:

1. The name of Pythagoras is famous for his theorem. And this is this man's greatest achievement.

2. The name of the “father” of democracy has long been known. This is Plato. But he based his teaching on the ideas of Pythagoras, one might say, his grandfather.

3.According to Pythagoras, everything in the world is reflected in numbers. His favorite number was 10.

4. None of the evidence from early times contains any mention of the merits of Pythagoras as the greatest cosmologist and mathematician of antiquity. And he is considered as such today.

5.Already during his lifetime he was considered a demigod, a miracle worker and an absolute sage, a kind of Einstein of the 4th century BC. There is no more mysterious great man in history.

6. One day Pythagoras got angry with one of his students, who committed suicide out of grief. From then on, the philosopher decided never to take out his irritation on people again.

7. Legends also attributed to Pythagoras the ability to heal people, using, among other things, excellent knowledge of various medicinal plants. The influence of this personality on those around him is difficult to overestimate.

8. In fact, Pythagoras is not a name, but a nickname of the great philosopher.

9. Pythagoras was distinguished by an excellent memory and developed curiosity.

10. Pythagoras was a famous cosmologist.

11. The name of Pythagoras was always surrounded by many legends even during his lifetime. For example, it was believed that he was able to control spirits, knew the language of animals, knew how to prophesy, and birds could change the direction of their flight under the influence of his speeches.

12. Pythagoras was the first to say that the soul of a person is reborn again after his death.

13.From a young age, Pythagoras was drawn to travel.

14. Pythagoras had his own school, which included 3 directions: political, religious and philosophical.

15. Pythagoras conducted experiments with color on the human psyche.

16. Pythagoras tried to find the harmony of numbers in nature.

17. Pythagoras considered himself past life fighter for Troy.

18. The theory of music was developed by this talented sage.

19. Pythagoras died saving his own students from a fire.

20. The lever was invented by this philosopher.

21. Pythagoras was a great orator. He taught this art to thousands of people.

22. A crater on the Moon is named after Pythagoras.

23. Pythagoras has always been considered a mystic.

24. Pythagoras believed that the secret of all essence on Earth lies in numbers.

25. Pythagoras got married when he was 60 years old. And the student of this philosopher became his wife.

26. The first lecture that Pythagoras gave brought 2000 people to him.

27.When joining the school of Pythagoras, people had to give up their property.

28. Among the followers of this sage there were quite noble people.

29. The first mentions of the life and work of Pythagoras became known only after 200 years had passed since his death.

30. The school of Pythagoras fell under the disgrace of the state.

Boreev Georgy - Pythagoras. Life is like a teaching. Volume 1 - read book online for free

Annotation

PYTHAGORAS
LIFE IS LIKE TEACHING
VOLUME ONE

ANNOTATION

In the book, the author interestingly and informatively reveals unknown pages of the biography of Pythagoras and, parallel to the plot, tells about the secret life of the esoteric schools of Egypt, Judea, Persia, Babylonia, India, China and Shambhala. The reader is revealed to the hoary secrets of existence, previously inaccessible to mere mortals. Dedications Greek philosopher in the mysteries of the esoteric schools were accompanied by Pythagoras exiting the body and his flights in the subtle body to Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Sirius and other distant planets. G. Boreev entertainingly describes the cities of aliens and the communication of the Great Initiate with representatives of extraterrestrial civilizations. The study of Pythagoras by the founders of world religions: Zarathustra, Jina Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Lao Tzu, Hermes Trismegistus is covered in detail. In the dialogues and disputes of Pythagoras with the fathers of religions, the purpose of the spiritual work of these messengers of Shambhala becomes clear, and the deep meaning of their statements becomes clear.

The editors do not recommend that readers independently perform some complex exercises from the School of Pythagoras, such as Shirshasana and techniques conscious exits from the body, described by G. Boreev in the book. It is better to master them under the guidance of an experienced instructor. Secret techniques of secret Schools are given here for the artistic perception of spiritual culture Ancient world, for a greater understanding by readers of the philosophy, the science and atmosphere in which Pythagoras lived, studied and worked.

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