Pythagoras

After reading about Pythagoras, I realized that the history you learn plays a larger role than the actual history itself. What I mean by that is if I have never read what I just did, I would have never known the real history of Pythagoras. All I would have "known" is that he invented the Pythagorean Theorem. That would be the only history I know and it would be truth to me, even not if actual truth, and everything is relative. It was just stunning to see a whole side I have never seen about a person you though was just basic. It opened my eyes to a Pythagoras that is more than just a mathematician.

What struck me most was that he had a cult or brotherhood around him. I thought he was just a mathematician, but he was much more. It was practically a religion he had made and many people instantly believed him. He "possessed such power over men, that after his first sermon to the Krotonians, six hundred joined the communal life of the brotherhood without even going home to bid their families farewell." Its stunning to think that Pythagoras had that much power, and many people probably never knew that.

What's so interesting about Pythagoras to me is the music aspect. I never knew that side and how he developed fifths and such. It was amazing how he used math in order to make music and saw that it was necessary for good music. When math was not used and a good ratio was not there, the "plucked notes did not sound well." Obviously, this only added to his belief that all is number.

Pythagoras is much different than the scientists of today. First off, most scientists don't really have such of a cult following that I know of. I don't think scientists of today have that much pull as Pythagoras did when he was at his height. Also, many scientists may have a philosophy that they go by, but not many have created a religion. For Pythagoras, his religion was more than science and math because it involved music and vegetarianism. Finally, in today's world many scientists try to disprove things I feel, rather than prove them. In the news, the headlines are usually something was found faulty or untrue, rather than something has received more evidence. He actually killed in order to suppress information, or as punishment for leaking the truth, which is such a drastic measure.