MATH, RELIGION, AND MYSTICISM
How were mathematics and religionintertwined in ancient times?
One of the first references to religion and mathematics was around 4000 BCE
(although this date is highly debated), through the Vedic religion, which is followed by
the Indo-Aryan peoples. Two works written in Vedic Sanskrit were the Vedasand
Vedangas,both of which not only discuss religion, but also include a great deal of
astronomical and mathematical knowledge throughout the text.
Another connection between religion and mathematics grew through the practice
of astrology, which is thought to have started around the 4th century BCEby the Babylo-
nians. Astrology, the belief that celestial bodies control the affairs and fates of individu-
als, kings, and nations, was a kind of “religion” in ancient times; it was based on the
position of the Moon, planets, and constellations. In order to practice astrology, the
astrologer needed an extraordinary knowledge not only of astronomy, but also of mathe-
matics, including the use of algorithms to calculate some of the “predictive” results.
Still another connection is the one between Christianity and math, although it is
often debated whether mathematics affected Christianity more or vice versa. What is
known is that people who studied math and science in the past were often deeply
entrenched in Christianity. For example, in the 16th and 17th centuries, great scien-
tists such as Galileo Galilei (1564–1642), Johannes Kepler (1571–1630), Isaac Newton
(1643–1727), and Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) were all deeply religious Chris-
tians who saw their scientific works as a religious undertaking.
To actually list all the other connections between religion, science, and mathe-
matics is far beyond the scope of this book. But as English physicist Freeman Dyson
(1923–) once said, one of the basic connections came as the result of theological
debate, and such arguments nurtured analytical thinking that could be applied to the
analysis of natural phenomena.
What was the Pythagorean Society?
Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras of Samos (c. 582–c. 507 BCE) not only
contributed the Pythagorean theorem to mathematics, but also started a group (some
say “cult”) called the Pythagorean Society. The school he founded stressed the necessity
for people to be well-rounded and also taught reincarnation and mysticism, making it
similar to—or perhaps influenced by—the earlier Orphic cult. The fundamental belief of
the Pythagoreans was that “all is number,” or that the entire universe—even abstract
ethical concepts like justice—could be explained in terms of numbers. In fact, Pythago-
ras was so enamored with the concept of numbers that his beliefs were centered around
the premise that the entire universe was based on a mathematical algorithm.
But the society also had some interesting non-mathematical beliefs, too. Those in
the “inner circle” of the society were called the mathematikoi.The lived permanently 383