Theoretic Arithmetic of the Pythagoreans

by Thomas Taylor

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Genres: Philosophy, Mathematics, History, Metaphysics

292 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1972

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database

Thomas Taylor was an English translator and Neoplatonist, the first to translate into English the complete works of Aristotle and of Plato, as well as the Orphic fragments. He published prolifically for over 50 years.

Reviews

[Peter J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an important work in my opinion. Besides being tremendously intriguing when it showed odd patterns that hint at something more to numbers than the mere assemblages of monads, it also clarified some really key concepts that are found not only in Pythagoric, but Platonic, Aristotelian, and Orphic thought.

[Blunt Of Mercia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, though not the sort one would ever read, unless locked away in some tower far from any other forms of entertainment, is the best source on western numerology I have found; and by virtue of that, deserves more than five stars, for it manages not to be absurd, not to be gimmiky or anything the like, but rather to present all the mathematical nonsense invented by the greeks (and other peoples) in such a serious way one could almost believe every word of it.

The book is hard to find but is reprinted by the Thomas Taylor Society (called Prometheus, I think), who reprint his very voluminous works on Platonism. But it is also on Archive, though the scans are annoying to consult.