Unit I
IN THIS LESSON
The Pythagorean brotherhood engineer a new type of community—one based on ancient wisdom.
Topics discussed:
The history and mythology of Pythagoras
The workings of Pythagorean communities
The benefits of routine and social pressure
The ethics of the Pythagorean Archytas
For lesson transcripts, go to zencastr.com/The-Luxury-of-Virtue.
Focus Questions
What is a Pythagorean community? What are the central teachings of the Pythagorean brotherhood?
What is the acusmata? List some of the precepts discussed in the lesson.
It appears that Pythagoreans ritualized their lives to a greater extent than was normal. There is some psychological evidence that this could have some benefits. What are some of the benefits of routinization?
Who is Archytas?
Archytas argued that living well is inseparable from being part of a social structure that is just and self-sufficient. This is to say, according to the Pythagoreans, that the laws of a community must be in accordance with nature, meaning that the system of laws must be proportionate. What is one possible interpretation of this given in the lesson? How else can a system of laws be proportionate?
What are Archytas’ views on freedom? What roles does the community play in an individual’s freedom?
Further Reading
David Conan Wolfdorf, Early Greek Ethics.
Alberto Martinez, The Cult of Pythagoras: Math and Myths
Lyman Tower Sargent, Utopianism: A very short introduction
Katy Milkman, How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
Benjamin Lockwood, Charles Nathanson, & Glen Weyl, “Taxation and the Allocation of Talent,” Journal of Political Economy, 125(5), 1635-1682.
Daniel Batson, What’s Wrong with Morality? A Social-Psychological Perspective
(See in particular chapter 2 for a discussion of the relationship between fear of punishment and norm internalization in children.)
Batja Mesquita, Between Us: How Cultures Create Emotions
Note: This book is an excellent survey of how emotions can be constructed in different ways by different cultures. In this light, (social) shame can be a good thing in that it steers towards that which is socially harmonious.
Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
Maryanne Wolf, Reader Come Home: The Reading Brain in the Digital World