Name : Merlin Dargham

Numbers

Pythagorean conception of number is magnitude. It is a symbol of an innermost mystical

and universal harmony. A harmony between Soul and World which is manifested
musically. This music is divine because the opposites (like equality/inequality,
identity/difference) are in continuous relationship. So “number” expresses universal
harmony through music that we don’t hear because we are accustomed to it since birth.

Numbers in metaphysical sense are expressions and realization of the divine. They are
not mathematical (i.e. for computation and calculation) but rather conceptualized in its
matter as an esoteric symbol of divine truths.

Its worth to note that numbers represented as pebbles and points on sands. So they are
seen as solid figures that occupy space and have magnitude as indicated previously.

A person living at the time of Pythagoras had no interest or any need to represent
numbers arithmetically. Numbers are studied on a quite different aspect far from our
scientific needs of quantitative results. So they dealt mainly with whole and rational
numbers ignoring numbers as irrationals.