5 ms·

It's less strange if you call it ma-the-matica, as in the-ology, pan-the-on, ...

leetcrew 7y ago
you can think of it that way, but, etymologically, it is unrelated to those words. the root "mathema" is more like "learning" or "knowledge".
- dr_dshiv 7y ago
  Pythagoras had two types of students, the akoustikoi and the mathematikoi. The latter had to take a 5 year vow of silence and live communally. Both men and women -- and mixed races (specifically the Mongolian "visiting scholar", Abaris) Recent scholarship (Creese, Zhmud, Barker) attributes to the mathematikoi the first hypothesis-driven experiments in the history of science -- testing theories of Consonance and Dissonance.
  - Mediterraneo10 7y ago
    Can you cite the claim that Abaris came from Mongolia? Whoever would make such a claim is speaking far too confidently. The details provided in the actual Greek sources are ambiguous and could apply to anywhere in northern Eurasia.
    - dr_dshiv 7y ago
      Yes! Def. It is Peter Kingsley's new book, "a story waiting to pierce you". It is very, very good.
      - Mediterraneo10 7y ago
        Alright, I see. I hope you understand that this book, published in New Age circles, is a not a reputable work on history or even a reasonable pop-sci distillation thereof. Consequently, I feel it is irresponsible to make the claim in the post above.
        dr_dshiv 7y ago
        Not so! Kinglsey is a great scholar and respected as such. This book is extremely well referenced -- more than half the book is notes and references. It also has a blurb from Walter Burkett just before he died. Yes, it's not standard history -- and he takes a spiritual perspective. But it is extremely appropriate for the subject matter. Impuning the book because it is published in new age circles is unfair. I recommend refreshing your perspective by reading "esotericism in the academy" by Wouter Hanagraaf. Or, "western esotericism: a guide for the perplexed"
        Mediterraneo10 7y ago
        > Kinglsey is a great scholar and respected as such He is not however respected as a historian or archaeologist of Northern Eurasia, which would allow him to claim that any figure in Greek history came specifically from Mongolia. If he says in the book that this is merely his own speculation, that would be fine, but the fact is that speculation is all it would be. > I recommend refreshing your perspective by reading "esotericism in the academy" by Wouter Hanagraaf. Or, "western esotericism: a guide for the perplexed" Esoteric philosophy and its validity or lack thereof is irrelevant to the historical–archaeological claim that you made in your post above.
        dr_dshiv 7y ago
        > Esoteric philosophy and its validity or lack thereof is irrelevant to the historical–archaeological claim that you made in your post above. I mentioned the work on esotericism in history in reference to the dismissal of kinglsey on the basis of new age affiliation. And speculation can be essential for creating plausible narratives in a world with limited data. But I agree, speculation should always be labeled!
        dr_dshiv 7y ago
        Posting Kingsley's Wikipedia as an intro: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kingsley_(scholar) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kingsley_(scholar)
    - dr_dshiv 7y ago
      And, to be clear, I'm not referring to the country of Mongolia today, but to the extent of the historical culture of the nomadic people of the steppes.

you can think of it that way, but, etymologically, it is unrelated to those words. the root "mathema" is more like "learning" or "knowledge".

dr_dshiv 7y ago
Pythagoras had two types of students, the akoustikoi and the mathematikoi. The latter had to take a 5 year vow of silence and live communally. Both men and women -- and mixed races (specifically the Mongolian "visiting scholar", Abaris) Recent scholarship (Creese, Zhmud, Barker) attributes to the mathematikoi the first hypothesis-driven experiments in the history of science -- testing theories of Consonance and Dissonance.
- Mediterraneo10 7y ago
  Can you cite the claim that Abaris came from Mongolia? Whoever would make such a claim is speaking far too confidently. The details provided in the actual Greek sources are ambiguous and could apply to anywhere in northern Eurasia.
  - dr_dshiv 7y ago
    Yes! Def. It is Peter Kingsley's new book, "a story waiting to pierce you". It is very, very good.
    - Mediterraneo10 7y ago
      Alright, I see. I hope you understand that this book, published in New Age circles, is a not a reputable work on history or even a reasonable pop-sci distillation thereof. Consequently, I feel it is irresponsible to make the claim in the post above.
      - dr_dshiv 7y ago
        Not so! Kinglsey is a great scholar and respected as such. This book is extremely well referenced -- more than half the book is notes and references. It also has a blurb from Walter Burkett just before he died. Yes, it's not standard history -- and he takes a spiritual perspective. But it is extremely appropriate for the subject matter. Impuning the book because it is published in new age circles is unfair. I recommend refreshing your perspective by reading "esotericism in the academy" by Wouter Hanagraaf. Or, "western esotericism: a guide for the perplexed"
        Mediterraneo10 7y ago
        > Kinglsey is a great scholar and respected as such He is not however respected as a historian or archaeologist of Northern Eurasia, which would allow him to claim that any figure in Greek history came specifically from Mongolia. If he says in the book that this is merely his own speculation, that would be fine, but the fact is that speculation is all it would be. > I recommend refreshing your perspective by reading "esotericism in the academy" by Wouter Hanagraaf. Or, "western esotericism: a guide for the perplexed" Esoteric philosophy and its validity or lack thereof is irrelevant to the historical–archaeological claim that you made in your post above.
        dr_dshiv 7y ago
        > Esoteric philosophy and its validity or lack thereof is irrelevant to the historical–archaeological claim that you made in your post above. I mentioned the work on esotericism in history in reference to the dismissal of kinglsey on the basis of new age affiliation. And speculation can be essential for creating plausible narratives in a world with limited data. But I agree, speculation should always be labeled!
      - dr_dshiv 7y ago
        Posting Kingsley's Wikipedia as an intro: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kingsley_(scholar) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kingsley_(scholar)
  - dr_dshiv 7y ago
    And, to be clear, I'm not referring to the country of Mongolia today, but to the extent of the historical culture of the nomadic people of the steppes.