Pythagoras was a philosopher and mathematician who believed in the mathematical order of the universe and proposed that everything could be explained in terms of numbers. He is most known for his theorem in geometry, the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans, further believed in the transmigration of souls and the kinship of all living things. They practiced a lifestyle of strict discipline, contemplation, and purification in the pursuit of divine wisdom.
Pythagoras was born around 570 BC on the Greek island of Samos. His father was a merchant. As a young man, he left his native city for Egypt, then the intellectual center of the ancient world, where he studied with the priests of Memphis and Thebes. His travels may have also brought him to the East, where he may have studied philosophy and religious ideas in Persia and India. Around 530 BC, Pythagoras moved to the Italian city of Croton, where he established a religious sect known as the Pythagoreans. They lived communally and were devoted to the study of mathematics, music, and astronomy, and to the pursuit of divine purity. Pythagoras himself was revered as a demigod, with miraculous powers of prophecy and healing. On his death, around 495 BC, his followers continued his school and his teachings, which greatly influenced the later development of mathematics and philosophy, especially the Platonic tradition.
While there are no known awards or recognitions given to Pythagoras during his lifetime or posthumously, his contributions to mathematics, philosophy, and science have greatly influenced the Western world. The Pythagorean theorem is one of the basic principles of Euclidean geometry and has been used for thousands of years. His philosophical teachings have influenced many great thinkers, including Plato and Aristotle, and have been the foundation for many religious and spiritual movements. He is often regarded as the first true mathematician and his ideas continue to be studied and respected today.
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