Pythagoreans
ancientPre-Socratic Philosophy-530 – -400
The Pythagoreans were followers of Pythagoras of Samos (c. 570-495 BCE), forming a philosophical and religious community that flourished in southern Italy. They held that number is the fundamental principle of reality and combined mathematical inquiry with doctrines about the soul, including transmigration and ethical purification.
Notable Achievements
1
Developed the doctrine that number is the underlying principle of all reality
2
Advanced the theory of metempsychosis (transmigration of souls)
3
Made foundational contributions to mathematics, including the Pythagorean theorem
4
Established an influential philosophical-religious community with strict ethical and dietary rules
5
Prohibited suicide on the grounds that the soul is stationed in the body by the gods