Philolaus
Pythagorean philosopher who first wrote of a Central Fire universe.
Philolaus was a Greek Pythagorean and pre-Socratic philosopher born in a Greek colony in Italy, most likely Croton, though some accounts suggest Tarentum or Metapontum. He later migrated to Greece, possibly fleeing the second burning of the Pythagorean meeting-place around 454 BC. He has been regarded as one of the three most prominent figures in the Pythagorean tradition and the most outstanding member of the Pythagorean school. According to some sources, he was the successor of Pythagoras. He was a contemporary of Socrates and Democritus, and around 399 BC he instructed Simmias and Cebes at Thebes, as mentioned in Plato’s *Phaedo*. He also lived for a time at Heraclea, where he studied under Aresas (or Arcesus). Later writers, though of questionable reliability, report that after Socrates’ death, Plato traveled to Italy and met Philolaus. His pupils included Xenophilus, Phanto, Echecrates, Diocles, and Polymnastus. A dubious story claims he was executed at Croton on suspicion of aspiring to become a tyrant.
Philolaus is often credited as the first to commit Pythagorean doctrines to writing, as Pythagoras and his earliest followers apparently left no written works. His book, sometimes called *On Nature* or *On the World*, may have been divided into three books. One source says Plato procured a copy through Dion of Syracuse for 100 minae when Philolaus was in poverty, and it was later claimed that Plato’s *Timaeus* drew heavily from this work. The first book gave a general account of the universe’s origin and arrangement, while the second expounded on the nature of numbers, which Pythagoreans considered the essence of all things. A work called *Bacchae* may have been another name for the same treatise, described by Proclus as a book for teaching theology through mathematics.
In philosophy, Philolaus argued that everything in the universe arises from a combination of the limiting and the limitless, which are united in a harmony. He reasoned that if all things were unlimited, nothing could be known. He is best known for his astronomical views, which provide the earliest known discussion of concepts leading to heliocentrism. He rejected geocentrism, positing instead a Central Fire at the center of the universe, around which spheres—including the Sun—revolved. Most of what is known today about Pythagorean astronomy comes from his ideas.
- field
- Philosophy, astronomy
- nationality
- Greek (from a Greek colony in Italy)
- known_for
- First to write about Pythagorean doctrine; non-geocentric universe with a Central Fire
Lore & Background
Later authors provide scattered and dubious reports: he lived at Heraclea as pupil of Aresas (or Arcesus), and Diogenes Laërtius claims Plato met him in Italy after Socrates' death. His pupils included Xenophilus, Phanto, Echecrates, Diocles, and Polymnastus. A dubious story reports he was put to death at Croton on suspicion of wanting to be tyrant. Philolaus is uniformly attributed as the first to publish Pythagorean doctrines. He composed a work, likely titled On Nature (also called On the World), possibly in three books. Plato is said to have procured a copy, and later it was claimed Plato's Timaeus drew heavily from it. Modern scholarship, following Burkert and Huffman, accepts about 11 fragments as genuine, deriving from Philolaus' book On Nature. The work began: 'Nature (physis) in the world-order (cosmos) was fitted together out of things which are unlimited and out of things which are limiting, both the world-order as a whole and everything in it.'
Reader's Guide
Philolaus' significance lies in his early non-geocentric cosmology and his role as the first known writer of Pythagorean doctrine. He argued that the foundation of everything is the interplay of the limiting and the unlimited, combined in a harmony. His astronomical system placed a Central Fire at the center of the universe, with ten divine bodies—including the Earth, Sun, Moon, planets, and a counterearth—revolving around it. This marked a radical departure from geocentrism and provided the earliest known discussion of concepts that would later develop into heliocentrism. Although his specific model (with a Central Fire rather than the Sun) was not adopted, his work influenced later thinkers, including Plato, who is said to have used Philolaus' writings for the Timaeus. The fragments of Philolaus remain a key source for understanding early Pythagorean philosophy and cosmology, and modern consensus has identified a core of genuine fragments that illuminate his thought.
Did You Know?
- Philolaus may have been the first to write about Pythagorean doctrine.
- He argued that the Earth was not the center of the universe, positing a Central Fire instead.
- Plato is said to have procured a copy of Philolaus' book and used it for his Timaeus.
- Modern scholarship accepts about 11 fragments as genuinely from Philolaus' book On Nature.
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