1.23.14
When I saw the reading for
Pythagoras, I became rather excited. It is one of those names that I have heard
throughout my many, many years of math education. What I had no idea about was
his clear belief in the transmigration of souls, specifically through a
terrestrial, marine, and then winged circuit. I suspect that we may draw a
number (pun intended) of inferences from this circuit. For one, it sounds like
Pythagoras elevates creatures above nature in terms of metaphysical importance.
This seems like a bit of a split from his predecessors. Secondly, I find the
circuitous nature of these transitions very interesting. He routinely expresses
the idea of a linear infinity, yet has his migration of souls run in circles.
The most
interesting aphorism from the readings was the one that arranged pairs of
opposite ideas into columns. There were definitely some expected
arrangements—namely male’s being paired with good, straight, right, etc.
However, the columns also included some surprises. It seems particularly noteworthy
that odd is contained within the “good” column, while even within the “evil”
column. It looks like Pythagoras had a fascination with the number one. This
would not only make odd numbers more substantive, as they include one, but I
wonder if they also give insight into his religious viewpoints.
I like the observation about linearity and circularity. Ultimately, I think all this is aimed at seeing underlying unity, hence the importance of the one.
ReplyDeleteI, too, appreciated your observation of linearity and circularity. Tensions like that and the underlying unity of many diverse things are topics that recur among philosophers, both in the classical period and beyond.
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