Answer:
This group of philosophers takes its name from Pythagoras, a native of Samos in western Greece, but whose career was spent mainly in Italy. We speak of Pythagoreans rather than of Pythagoras, because little is known of the founder and, therefore it is difficult to assign to any individual the characteristic Pythagorean doctrines. The information we have from Aristotle about this school seldom begins with anything but the vaguest designation, e.g., "Certain Pythagoreans . . ." From an historical point of view, this presents difficulties. This is particularly true when we attempt to make use of Hellenstic testimonies, since the span of centuries, together with the anonymity of the members of the school, tends to blur the difference between very early Pythagorean teachings and later ones. For these were formulated with an eye to Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics.
