Was Pythagoras The First Vegetarian?

He advocated a meat-free diet as a result of his belief in reincarnation

Vegetarianism has been around for a long time, although where and when the practice started is uncertain.

One candidate for being first to advocate vegetarianism is the ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras (c.570-c.495 BC) — he of the famous theorem about right-angled triangles and hippopotamuses, although I might have got that last bit wrong.

Pythagoras required pupils in his school of philosophy to refrain from eating meat, his thinking being connected to his belief in reincarnation — if people could have new lives as sheep or cows, eating these animals could be seen as a form of cannibalism!

The modern notion of vegetarianism was given substance in the 1840s, and before that date anyone who abstained from meat-eating was often referred to as a “Pythagorean”.

I am virtually vegetarian in that I don’t eat meat, although I do eat fish. Although I agree with many of the arguments in favour of not eating meat I do not abstain for ideological reasons — I just can’t stand the stuff and never could!

For me, the taste and texture of all forms of meat are far from pleasant, and for many years I really could not understand…