The history of Western philosophy is often portrayed as beginning with the work of Thales and the so called “Milesian school” he inaugurated.1 Because he stands, on such accounts, as the fountainhead of our philosophical tradition, his thought has come to be imbued with a mythological significance. In a sense, this should not be surprising, …
The twelve signs of the Zodiac are fundamental to Western Astrology. Each sign is identified with a thirty degree segment of the ecliptic, the sun’s apparent path through the fixed stars, and is said to signify various states of affairs.[1] A sign is, as St. Augustine observes, “a thing which, over and above the impression …
In my last essay, I presented the myth of Pythagoras and argued for its abiding relevance.[1] I’d now like to move on to explore some of the basic teachings of Pythagoreanism and how those teachings have influenced the development of Greek philosophy. Specifically, this essay will examine the Pythagorean doctrine of metempsychosis, or the transmigration …