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Fiction

The Death of Pythagoras

Bruce Pennington tells us how Pythagoras became a has-bean, while another Bruce Pennington drew the portraits…

Shamanistic shyster or intellectual innovator, creative charlatan or exalted pioneer of philosophy – however one views him, Pythagoras remains the most famous name at the starting gate of Western philosophy. For half a millennium he was a superstar. He is professed to be the founding father of mathematics, music, astronomy and philosophy; he is even alleged to have coined the words ‘mathematics’ and ‘philosophy’.

Pythagoras is found at the cusp dividing written history from the verbal record. It does not help our knowledge of him that he insisted that nothing of his teachings be written down, and that his followers be sworn to secrecy.

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