Pythagoras: His Life, Teaching, and Influence
"Christoph Riedweg fully treats the archaic school or cult founded by Pythagoras. He gives a rich picture of Pythagoras as a figure of legend, with abundant details from the Neoplatonist 'Lives' of Pythagoras, including many supernatural exploits and edifying stories."—Charles H. Kahn, author of Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans"Ancient tradition makes Pythagoras the embodiment of the wise man: a traveller, a scientist, a guru, an astronomer and cosmologist, a mathematician, a politician. How much of the legend is true and can the historical Pythagoras be reconstructed? In an unusually lucid and methodical book, Christoph Riedweg tackles all the aspects of the traditions about this legendary wise man. He shows that the key to understanding Pythagoras is his uniquely comprehensive way of structuring reality: a theory of the cosmos entails both science and religious doctrine, a way of life and a political attitude. This book is an excellent introduction to the study of Pythagoras and the philosophical school of the Pythagoreans."—Nanno Marinatos, University of Illinois at Chicago