PSYC85H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Pythagoreanism, Pythagorean Theorem, Gnomon
Document Summary
Chapter 2: touchstones - the origins of psychological thought. Pythagoras has often been characterized as having had a peerless influence on the course of western thought. He is often described as having miraculous powers and was even referred to as the incarnation of apollo, the greek god most associated with otherworldly wisdom. He was thought to have studied in egypt and to have been initiated into the mathematical and religious secrets of the priesthood there. It is the myth of pythagoras that has had such a great influence on the way many people in the west think about the world. One of the central features of the pythagorean myth is that he founded a semi-secret society in italy. The members were supposed to have been able to attune themselves to the harmony that ordered the universe. harmony is central to his thought. It is closely linked to the notion that the structure of mathematics is the structure of reality.
