Pythagoras: He an his followers applied mathematical principles to almost every aspect of human existence, creating a great muddle of religious mysticism, music, mathematics, medicine, and cosmology (Esper, 1964) According to the Pythagoreans, numbers and numerical relationships, although abstract, were nonetheless real and exerted an influence on the empirical world. The world of numbers existed independently of the empirical world and could be known in its pure form only through reason. ...nothing is perfect in the empirical world. Perfection is found only inthe abstract mathematical world that lies beyond the sences and therefore can be empbraced only by reason. The pythagoreans imposed on themselves long periods of silence to enhance clear, rational thought. Moreover, they attempted to cleanse their minds by imposing certain taboos (απαγορεύσεις) and by hard physical and mental exercise. The taboos included eating flesh and eating beans. Among other things, beans cause excessive flatulence, a condition contrary to the tranquility of mind necessary for seeking the truth. In a sence, the Pythagoreans introduced an early version of the belief You are what you eat; they believed that each kind of food that is introduced into the human body becomes the cause of a certain peculiar disposition. (Guthrie, 1987) They believed that the universe was characterised by a mathematical harmony and that everything in nature was interrelated. They encountered women to join their organization, argued for the humane treatment of slaves... They accepted the notion of the transmigration of souls, and both believed that only purification could stop the circle of births. The notion of transmigration fostered in the Pythagoreans a spirit of kinship with all living things. It is for this reason that they accepted women into their organizations, argued for the humane treatment of the slaves, and were opposed to the maltreatment of animals. Pythagoreans were vegetarians. Another Pythagorean taboo: Do not urinate towards the sun An Introduction to the History of Psychology by Hergenhalm
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 09:46:10 +0000
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