Pythagoreans
Triangle theorem disciples
Pythagoreans were followers of the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras and his teachings.
The term now refers broadly to anyone influenced by Pythagorean ideas—the mathematical nature of reality, the harmony of the spheres, and the transmigration of souls.
As an adjective, Pythagorean describes things related to this tradition: the Pythagorean theorem, Pythagorean tuning.
Soul passing into another body
- monadIndivisible fundamental unit
- kosmosOrdered totality of existence
- nousFaculty of rational thought
- psycheTotal mental life
Croton · brotherhood · school
Longest right-triangle side
- right triangleThree-sided, one perpendicular corner
- proofDemonstration of truth
- gnomonSundial's shadow-casting projection
- irrational numbersNon-terminating, non-repeating decimals
pentagram · pentagon · golden ratio · Platonic solids · mathematical proof · deduction · geometric mean · square
Formal admission ceremony
- secrecyPractice of hiding information
- silenceTotal lack of sound
- vegetarianismAbstaining from flesh consumption
- purificationRemoval of contaminants
asceticism · communal living · ritual · dietary restrictions · abstinence · oath · sacred · esoteric
Eight-note interval
- fifthFive's place in sequence
- fourthOrdinal for position four
- string lengthCharacters in a sequence
- consonanceHarmonious sound combination
dissonance · tetrachord · intervals · tuning · spheres · pitch · acoustics · vibration
Orderly totality of existence
- celestial spheresAncient cosmos's rotating layers
- planetary motionMovement of worlds around stars
- world-soulSpirit animating all existence
- universeComplete system or domain
order · heavenly bodies · astronomical · circular motion · geocentric
transmigration
Soul passing into another body
psyche · Croton · brotherhood · school
hypotenuse
Longest right-triangle side
- right triangleThree-sided, one perpendicular corner
- proofDemonstration of truth
- gnomonSundial's shadow-casting projection
irrational numbers · pentagram · pentagon · golden ratio · Platonic solids · mathematical proof · deduction · geometric mean · square · diagonal
initiation
Formal admission ceremony
- secrecyPractice of hiding information
- silenceTotal lack of sound
- vegetarianismAbstaining from flesh consumption
purification · asceticism · communal living · ritual · dietary restrictions · abstinence · oath · sacred · esoteric · reincarnation
octave
Eight-note interval
- fifthFive's place in sequence
- fourthOrdinal for position four
- string lengthCharacters in a sequence
consonance · dissonance · tetrachord · intervals · tuning · spheres · pitch · acoustics · vibration
cosmos
Orderly totality of existence
- celestial spheresAncient cosmos's rotating layers
- planetary motionMovement of worlds around stars
- world-soulSpirit animating all existence
universe · order · heavenly bodies · astronomical · circular motion · geocentric
sacred numbers
Digits with spiritual significance
square numbers · odd · even · limited · unlimited · one · ten · four · proportions
- Pythagorean theoremRelates right triangle sides
- Pythagorean tuningScale built on fifths