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Thales thought the world was made of water; Heraclitus said the primal stuff is fire. Pythagoras (sixth century B.C.) thought all is number, and equations the path to all truths. "Things are numbers" was his motto. Pythagoras's philosophy, which included beliefs in reincarnation and the evil effects of beans, is at times bizarre and obscure, but he did concoct the first great geometric proof, which is of the formula still known as the "Pythagorean theorem."
— Eureka! 81 Key Ideas Explained
(book)
by Michael Macrone
(see stats)
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