Philosophical Anthropology and Geometric Design Methods in the Parthenon

Abstract

This thesis aims to find a correlation between the geometric symbolism used in the design of the Greek Parthenon and the contemporary zeitgeist of philosophical anthropology. It will do so by creating a collective narrative combining the disciplines of architecture, mathematics and philosophy.
Our anthropological predisposition as humans to obtain knowledge has led us to be the only species on earth to create philosophical theories about our purpose on earth. Symbolism plays a defining role within architecture as a means to represent the philosophical anthropology zeitgeist of certain civilisations. The discipline of mathematics plays a leading role in the development of philosophical anthropology because it was a way of actualizing and physically displaying symbolism through geometry. Especially during the Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Greek civilisations, mathematics and philosophy have been closely related.
Through geometric analyses of the Parthenon, one of the most well-known and representative works of monumental Greek architecture, a strong relation to the philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras was found. The geometric techniques found in the analyses were examined in their philosophical context to relate them back to the philosophical anthropological zeitgeist of the Hellenic period in Greece. This thesis concludes that Pythagoras, and by extension the Pythagoreans, has had a strong influence on the zeitgeist of Greek philosophical anthropology and that this has become evident in the Greek built environment.