ABSTRACT
The Pythagoreans sailed their intellectual boats on the ocean of anonymity. One name stands out: Philolaus, according to a reliable tradition, was the first Pythagorean philosopher to publish his views; and his book Concerning Nature for the first time congealed the fluid oral tradition of the school (Demetrius, apud Diogenes Laertius, VIII.85=44 A 1). 1 A malicious and silly rumour insinuated that Plato in his Timaeus plagiarized the work of Philolaus (Timon, fr. 54 =A 8; Hermippus, apud Diogenes Laertius, VIII.84=A 1); if the gossip has a basis in truth, and Plato was influenced by Philolaus, then that adds an extrinsic interest to the book. 2
