Pythagoras | Numbers | Pre Socratic | Greek Philosopher | Philosophy Simplified

Hello and welcome everyone to my YouTube channel Philosophy Simplified. In Pre-Socratic Philosopher Series, we are going to discuss today one of the most important philosopher named as Pythagoras. Pythagoras was a pre-socratic philosopher. He was born in the year 570 BCE and died in 495 BC and is one of the most influential figure in both philosophy and mathematics. Pythagoras was famous for his mathematical theorem that is popularly known as Pythagoras Theorem and he is the one who coined the term philosophy. Tales and examiners and examines, the philosophers belong to the Malaysian school have no idea what they are doing until Pythagoras arrived. He was the first person who used the term philosophy for the first time. So systematically we can say that he was the first person who coined the term philosophy, the Greek word philosophy that stand for lover of wisdom or love for wisdom. So like other philosophers, his contributions spanned cosmology, ethics, mathematics and mysticism forming the foundation for the Pythagorean school of thought which combined philosophical idea with the mathematical principles. So being a mathematician, he is trying to show that everything is grounded in numbers, all is numbers. Reality is mathematical in simple word we can say that. As we know that Pythagoras is best known for his view that numbers and mathematical relationships are the underlying reality of the universe. Basically he believed that numbers explain the structure and order of the cosmos leading to his famous statement, all is numbers. This notion extended beyond arithmetics to the encompasses geometry, music and harmony of the sphere, emphasizing that numbers govern both physical and metaphysical phenomena. So when he discussed cosmology, he proposed that there are five planetary bodies like sun, moon, heaven, earth and counter earth and according to Pythagoras, earth is shaped like a sphere. According to Pythagoras, ten is the perfect number and number is the essence and basis of all things, odd and even to be the element of numbers. Even Pythagoras reduced the ethics into mathematics. For Pythagoras, mathematics was not just a tool for understanding the physical world or metaphysical world but also a guide for ethical behavior and spiritual developments. The harmony found in numbers and geometry was mirrored in the moral order of the universe, leading Pythagoras to pursue a life of balance, moderation and rationality. So these kind of discussions usually found in the Indian ethics also, where we find that if you want to be reborn as a human being in next life, the ratio between the good and bad karmas must be 50-50. So this is where we can say that number applies. And if someone is bigger, someone is shorter, someone is skinny, that means it contains less or more atoms. This is how he reduced everything into numbers. To understand the structure of reality means to understand the numbers. Like early philosophers who proposed that water is the fundamental principles or air is the fundamental principles, Pythagoras was the person who said numbers are the fundamental reality of such universe. Everything is grounded in numbers. So Pythagoras is also famous for his philosophical society named as Pythagorean Brotherhood. Pythagorean Brotherhood is a religious and a philosophical community that followed his teachings. Members of the Brotherhood were expected to follow strict rules of conduct, live a communal life, and pursue the study of mathematics, philosophy, and music as a path to spiritual enlightenment. The Brotherhood also engaged in mystical practices, including the belief in the divine nature of numbers and pursuit of inner purifications. One of the most important concepts that we find in the philosophy of Pythagoras is the concept of immortality of the soul and rebirth, reincarnation. So the concept of rebirth or reincarnation is accepted only when the soul is eternal, soul is real, soul is something which is beyond creation and destruction. So only physical bodies die and the soul remains forever. I think he is the first person who proposed such a philosophical idea that the soul of human being is an immortal entity and it transmigrates from one body to another. The important thing that I would like to discuss here is that Pythagoras was influenced by the Indian philosophical school named as Sankhya, Sankhya stands for numbers, and both Sankhya and Pythagoras have similar views regarding the nature of reality that the ultimate reality is numbers. If you want to understand metaphysics or understand reality in complete, you just have to understand the numbers. So in Indian philosophy Sankhya is the oldest system and Pythagoras was the contemporary philosopher of Sankhya. So either Sankhya influenced Pythagoras or Pythagoras influenced Sankhya because their philosophy is very closely linked to one another. So in nutshell it can be said that Pythagoras main contribution is that he gave the world the term philosophy, he was a famous mathematician, he was a famous philosopher, he reduced everything into numbers, he introduced the concept of immortality of the soul and reincarnation and about the earth he said that earth is shaped like a sphere. Thanks for watching.