Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans

written by Charles H. Kahn.
This book draws on all of the influences that Pythagoras and the Pythagorean doctrines have had over the millenia. Pythagoras didn't do a whole lot of his own inventing of theories or ideas, but put many together to create his all encompassing theory of the cosmos. He got the idea of transmigration of souls from the egyptians, reincarnation from india, and he even got the "Pythagorean Theorem" from the Babylonians! However, he did come up with the idea that numbers are behind everything and are the fundamental building blocks of life and the universe. MOST of Plato's philosphy can be traced back to its Pythagorean roots, through Philolaus, Archytas or others and after Aristotle, Pythagorean and Platonic philosphy merged together and were fully incorporated in Plato's Academy.
since he believed in reincarnation and transmigration of souls he was a vegetarian and popularized vegetariansim among many famous people including Ovid, Xenocrates, Plutarch, Apollonia, and later Voltaire was a Pythagorean influenced vegetarian. during Roman times vegetarianism was linked directly with Pythagoras but when Christianity won over Europe, the trend died out and pagan thought was suppressed.
The idea that numbers and rationale can be used to explain everything in the universe is almost the same concept as the scientific theory and modern scientific reason. Newton gave Pythagoras credit for universal gravitation and the Third Law of Johannes Kepler is a direct reference to Pythagoreanism.
Pythagoras has made a very long lasting impression on the western world, even though most of his ideas were not his own. He seems to have been in the right place at the right time to promote his foreign education and be praised through history. Aristotle on philosophy and politics was the staple of european social life for millenia and Plato was his teacher, and Plato was influenced by Pythagoreans who were influenced Pythagoras. Is following the trail of teachers a fair way of attributing glory? i would say not, unless most developments in science want to trace their long trail back to Pythagoras; unless modern preachers want to trace their glory back to Moses; unless modern legislators want to trace their position back to Hammurabi. Especially because most of these founding figures are intertwined with myth or lack documented proof (pythagoras, Solon, Homer, Theseus etc).

wow, that was a ramble.