Pythagoras
ancientPythagoreanism-570 – -495
Pythagoras of Samos (c. 570–495 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician who founded the religious and philosophical movement known as Pythagoreanism. He taught that number is the fundamental principle underlying all reality, and his school synthesized mathematics, cosmology, and ethics into a comprehensive way of life. Though none of his writings survive, his influence on Plato and subsequent Western philosophy was profound.
Notable Achievements
1
Founded the Pythagorean school, a communal philosophical and religious brotherhood at Croton
2
Established the doctrine that mathematical relations underlie the structure of reality
3
Developed the theory of metempsychosis (transmigration of souls) as a central ethical doctrine
4
Associated with early proofs and systematization of what became the Pythagorean theorem
5
Pioneered the mathematical study of musical harmony and its relationship to numerical ratios