Fragments on Pythagoras on Superphysics

Archytas' Treatises

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Treatise On Ethical Erudition

Virtue is sufficient to prevent infelicity. Vice leads to the non-attainment of felicity.

Crito's Treatises

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Treatise On Prudence And Prosperity

Prudence and prosperity subsist, with reference to each other, as follows:

Prudence is effable and possesses reason, for it is something orderly and definite.

But prosperity is ineffable and irrational, for it is something disorderly and indefinite.

Crito on Prudence

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The following beautiful fragment of Crito on Prudence, is from the Physical Eclogues of Stobæus, p. 198, and is omitted by Gale in his Collection of Pythagoric Ethical Fragments in Opusc. Mythol. &c.

Euryphamus' Treatise On Human Life

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The perfect life of man falls short of the life of God, because it is not self-perfect. But it surpasses that of irrational animals, because it has virtue and felicity.

Hipparchus' Treatise On Tranquillity

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Men live but for a very short period.

Their lifetime would be a most beautiful journey if they pass through life with tranquillity.

The Treatise On Felicity from Hippodamus the Thurian

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Of animals, some are the recipients of felicity. But others are incapable of receiving it.

The animals that have reason are receptive of it. This is because felicity cannot subsist without virtue.

Metopus' Treatise on Virtue

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Virtue is the perfection of human nature.

For every being becomes perfect, and arrives at the summit of excellence according to the proper nature of its virtue.

Thus, a horse’s virtue is that which leads to the perfection of the nature of a horse.

Polus' Treatise On Justice (Dharma)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Justice as Justice

Justice* may be called the mother and the nurse of the other virtues.

Without this, a man can neither be temperate, nor brave, nor prudent.

It is the harmony and peace, in conjunction with elegance, of the whole soul.

Theages' Treatise On The Virtues

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The parts of the soul are:

the reasoning power which has dominion over knowledge
anger which has dominion over impetus
desire which intrepidly rules over the soul’s appetites

Virtue and Vice

When these 3 parts pass into one, and exhibit one appropriate composition, then virtue and concord are produced in the soul.

Treatise On The Virtues

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The principles of all virtue are 3:

Knowledge

Knowledge is how we contemplate and form a judgment of things.

Power

Power is a certain strength of the nature from which we derive our subsistence. It gives stability to our actions.