"[T]he Pythagorean One, or Monad, splits into two principles, male and female, the Even and the Odd, which are the elements of all numbers and so of the universe. ...One is not simply a numerical unit, which gives rise to other numbers by ...addition. That conception belongs to the later atomistic number-doctrine ...In the earlier Pythagoreanism, we must think of the One (which is not itself a number at all) as analogous to Anaximander's ἄπειρον. It is the primary, undifferentiated group-soul, or , of the universe, and numbers must arise from it by a process of differentiation or 'separating out' (ἀπόκρισις). Similarly, each of these numbers is not a collection of units, built up by addition, but itself a sort of minor group-soul—a distinct 'nature,' with various mystical properties. In the same way, it is by dividing up the whole interval of the that the harmonic proportions are determined."
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, From Religion to Philosophy: A Study in the Origins of Western Speculation (1912) p. 210.
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Science in classical antiquity
Science in classical antiquity encompasses inquiries into the workings of the world or universe aimed at both practical goals (e.g., establishing a reliable calendar or determining how to cure a variety of illnesses) as well as more abstract investigations belonging to natural philosophy. Classical antiquity is traditionally defined as the period between the 8th century BC (beginning of Archaic Greece) and the 6th century AD (after which there was medieval science). It is typically limited geogr
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