Pythagoras

by Susan Sales Harkins, William H. Harkins

Pythagoras was a man of his times and for all times. So important to mankind was his birth that the gods sent his birth announcement via the Pythian oracle. Tradition holds that he studied with the greatest minds the ancients had to offer. Pherecydes taught him that the soul is immortal. Thales and Anaximander taught him to trust only what he experienced. He studied with the first recorded scientist. Egyptian priests taught him radical ideas about the human soul. From the Babylonians magi, he learned higher mathematics and about the cosmos. He probably had the most well rounded higher education of any other living person of his time, but when most men were done with life, Pythagoras was just making his mark. Around the age of fifty, he founded a school of higher mathematics, philosophy, music, and religion. His lessons still impact our scientific and moral communities today.

48 pages, Library Binding

First published September 14, 2007

About the author

Susan is a Software consultant and the author of several articles and books on database technologies. She and her husband, William, collaborate on children's non-fiction.

Reviews

[Shelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This year my daughter and I are creating a class for our homeschooling studies called “A Historical Approach to Science,” since we love all things history and find science mostly confusing. Pythagoras is such an interesting “scientist” to first learn about since the thing he is most known for he didn’t even discover. He was really more of a cultist math nerd whose lifetime is filled with more questions/myths than known truths. Susan Harkins did a nice job with this small chapter book biography, leaving me wanting to find out even more.