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Pythagoras and the Doctrine of Transmigration: Wandering Souls
The mythical narrative of transmigration tells the story of myriad wandering souls, each migrating from body to body along a path of recurrence amid the becoming of the All.
In this highly original study, James Luchte explores the ways in which the concept of transmigration is a central motif in Pythagoras' philosophy, representing its fundamental meaning. Luchte argues that the many strands of the tale of transmigration come together in the Pythagorean philosophical movement, revealing a unity in which, for Pythagoreans, existence and eschatology are separated only by forgetfulness. Such an interpretation that seeks to retrieve the unity of Pythagorean thought goes against the grain of a long-standing tradition of interpretation that projects upon Pythagoras the segregation of 'mysticism' and 'science'. Luchte lays out an alternative interpretation of Pythagorean philosophy as magical in the sense that it orchestrates a holistic harmonization of theoria and praxis and through this reading discloses the radical character of Pythagorean philosophy.
In this highly original study, James Luchte explores the ways in which the concept of transmigration is a central motif in Pythagoras' philosophy, representing its fundamental meaning. Luchte argues that the many strands of the tale of transmigration come together in the Pythagorean philosophical movement, revealing a unity in which, for Pythagoreans, existence and eschatology are separated only by forgetfulness. Such an interpretation that seeks to retrieve the unity of Pythagorean thought goes against the grain of a long-standing tradition of interpretation that projects upon Pythagoras the segregation of 'mysticism' and 'science'. Luchte lays out an alternative interpretation of Pythagorean philosophy as magical in the sense that it orchestrates a holistic harmonization of theoria and praxis and through this reading discloses the radical character of Pythagorean philosophy.
- GenresPhilosophy
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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June 26, 2019
130517: i have read little ancient greek philosophy, let alone on pythagoras, but i give this a five for the ways it stimulates thought. luchte is first interested in correcting (mostly analytic) interpretations of pythagoras that separate what is seen as 'science' from what is seen as 'mysticism'. science (math) is not separable, informed by thought that only anachronistically can be derided as mysticism- a way of thinking logical positivists were eager to dismiss. from the poetic, symbolic, origins of transmigration, there comes the magical 'harmony', or rather 'two' out of 'one': multiplicity from unity...
it is essential to recall that the entire telos (goal/reason) of living/praxis of members of pythagorean cult, is to see the oneness, the harmony, of dualities like light/dark, life/death etc. as not 'contradictories', which deny/conflict/exile the other and thus cannot be harmonious one, but as 'contraries', which imply, indeed require, the other to be whole, harmonious rather than conflictual. of course, pythagoras and his community wrote nothing much down so we depend on other sources, sometimes unsympathetic, to try to understand his thought. there is a lot of room for speculation, but this reads as quite plausible...
some of the voices that distort pythagoras are ancient, are presented in later adherents as those to be enlightened by dialogue with socrates. others, such as philolalus, are shown misreading and thus inspiring aristotle, as promoting an agonistic relationship of the contraries, such as the limited/unlimited, one/many... some voices are modern, who want to find the system and discard the mystic/magic/symbolic... and the doctrine of 'transmigration' is here vital to a correct vision of pythagoras, with allegations that critique spoke more to 'orphic' magic work of individuals, rather than the communal, shared, essential group actions of pythagoreans toward transmigration...
this also notes how very different pythagorean transmigration is from platonic metempsychosis. essentially, for plato, as read through his cave, divided line, sun, the body is something of a prison, something holding the mind/soul from transcending to the One, so the best idea is to overcome the body (by the rational mind), eventually in death, and instead of suffering another life going directly to this ideal realm. there is some note of inversion of homeric 'shades', who are nostalgic for the intensity of living. the main difference is that for pythagoreans the body is not a prison but a necessary place from which the soul can strive to ascend to the One, a case of 'bios', as shown by the god apollo who is here seen as between sky and earth rather than simply sky...
yes the gods, the pantheon, were employed by pythagoras, to tell his story best. rather than defining the human as somehow above, beyond, in the world as special animal- he insists on 'kinship' of all beings, of the soul having various possible animals to inhabit. this is not meant as punishment, indeed this is a good thing: to live, to learn, to have the soul brought to awareness of the 'All' (One). this is contrasted with plato and plotinus. in my readings this is contrasted to buddhist cosmology. indeed the All is like 'advaita-vedanta' hinduism, that is 'non-dual' (harmonious?), where we only need awareness we are always already a part of All...
there is more, there is much that inspires further thought, and i am glad to find such apparently 'modern' positions against, for example, 'platonic ideals' (deleuze) or devaluation of the body (foucault)... great stuff!
it is essential to recall that the entire telos (goal/reason) of living/praxis of members of pythagorean cult, is to see the oneness, the harmony, of dualities like light/dark, life/death etc. as not 'contradictories', which deny/conflict/exile the other and thus cannot be harmonious one, but as 'contraries', which imply, indeed require, the other to be whole, harmonious rather than conflictual. of course, pythagoras and his community wrote nothing much down so we depend on other sources, sometimes unsympathetic, to try to understand his thought. there is a lot of room for speculation, but this reads as quite plausible...
some of the voices that distort pythagoras are ancient, are presented in later adherents as those to be enlightened by dialogue with socrates. others, such as philolalus, are shown misreading and thus inspiring aristotle, as promoting an agonistic relationship of the contraries, such as the limited/unlimited, one/many... some voices are modern, who want to find the system and discard the mystic/magic/symbolic... and the doctrine of 'transmigration' is here vital to a correct vision of pythagoras, with allegations that critique spoke more to 'orphic' magic work of individuals, rather than the communal, shared, essential group actions of pythagoreans toward transmigration...
this also notes how very different pythagorean transmigration is from platonic metempsychosis. essentially, for plato, as read through his cave, divided line, sun, the body is something of a prison, something holding the mind/soul from transcending to the One, so the best idea is to overcome the body (by the rational mind), eventually in death, and instead of suffering another life going directly to this ideal realm. there is some note of inversion of homeric 'shades', who are nostalgic for the intensity of living. the main difference is that for pythagoreans the body is not a prison but a necessary place from which the soul can strive to ascend to the One, a case of 'bios', as shown by the god apollo who is here seen as between sky and earth rather than simply sky...
yes the gods, the pantheon, were employed by pythagoras, to tell his story best. rather than defining the human as somehow above, beyond, in the world as special animal- he insists on 'kinship' of all beings, of the soul having various possible animals to inhabit. this is not meant as punishment, indeed this is a good thing: to live, to learn, to have the soul brought to awareness of the 'All' (One). this is contrasted with plato and plotinus. in my readings this is contrasted to buddhist cosmology. indeed the All is like 'advaita-vedanta' hinduism, that is 'non-dual' (harmonious?), where we only need awareness we are always already a part of All...
there is more, there is much that inspires further thought, and i am glad to find such apparently 'modern' positions against, for example, 'platonic ideals' (deleuze) or devaluation of the body (foucault)... great stuff!
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