PSYC85H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Ontogeny, Lightdark, Binary Number
Document Summary
Pythagorean cosmology: the universe is initially a unity that becomes differentiated into pairs of opposites. The opposites are then reunited (harmonized) to generate various forms of life: two most important parts of pythagorean worldview: a) nature of opposites and, importance of number in regulating phenomena. In contemporary psychology, the process of ontogeny (individual development) is sometimes viewed the same way. There are some important pairs of opposites: limit (produced by the integration of opposites) vs. unlimited: everything we experience is limited. If we examine any of our experiences, we will see that they will all involve something unlimited but also has something that has a precise mathematical structure (limit) Pythagorean mathematics: gnomon: addition or subtraction of one figure from the figure of another shape, the pythagorean opposites were intended to refer to specific occurrences, they denote mathematically precise relationships, illustrating the. Pythagorean belief that everything that happens can be described in a mathematically exact way.