Re:Five or Ten New Proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem
by dr_dshiv on Saturday November 02, 2024 @02:10AM
(#42024369)
Is there any evidence supporting the hypothesis that Pythagoras was invented?
Re:Five or Ten New Proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem
by n4r9 on Sunday November 03, 2024 @07:53AM
(#42032777)
I'm just saying it's not very clear that the figure of Pythagoras existed. It's like Robin Hood or King Arthur - maybe there was a historical person on which the mythology is based, but at this point we just don't know with any certainty.
No one is denying that a cult named the Pythagoreans existed, that many of their writings are preserved, and that they influenced Copernicus etc ...
Heraclitus was notorious for his cutting critiques of predecessors. There are a total of three very brief mentions of Pythagoras in fragments of his work (fragments 40, 81 and 129). This is not really enough to go on - it's not clear whether he's criticising someone he's met in person, some learnings that he's heard through a third party, or a cult figure that was invented and idolised by the Pythagoreans.