The two questions that are stated in the Heritage handout, are indeed two The question to be addressed is of the world being constitutedprimarily by flux or permanence. This question is significant because in modernsociety, I believe that there is no clear-cut answer, just a position somewhere in themiddle, whereas the Presocratic philosopher, Pythagoras, philosophized that the worldis constituted by permanence. Pythagoras is probably best-known for his contributions in the field ofmathematics, specifically in geometry, although, he is also well-known as aphilosopher as well. Pythagoras philosophized that things are numbers and felt thatthe physical world could be entirely defined by mathematical formulas and ratios(Heritage Reader 80). He, unlike the earlier Egyptian mathematicians who wereinterested in mathematics for architectural purposes, was interested in mathematics justbecause that is what he wanted to learn more about. Pythagoras [also] turnedgeometrical philosophy into a form of liberal education by seeking its first principles ina higher realm of reality (80). Mathematics was basically his reality. This is the reason I believe that Pythagoras philosophized as he did. Mathematics is permanent. For example, the Pythagorean theory, The square of thehypotenuse of a right-angled triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the sidesenclosing the right angle, is true for every right angled triangle-no matter if it is in thepast, the present, or the future. This can be applied to the a...
