Introduction or preface

This article makes a comparison between Pythagoreanism and Middle Platonism by taking into account writings and authors that traditionally constitute the core of Neopythagoreanism: Doric pseudopythagorica, Moderatos, Nicomachos, and Numenius. As for the pseudo- Pythagorean treatises, whose basic system seeks to unite Platonism with Aristotelianism across the full spectrum of the discussions in philosophy, the comparison mainly concerns Middle Platonic authors such as Eudoros and Philo. As for the extant authors, the main question addressed is that of their doctrinal identity, which lies on the confine between Platonism and Pythagoreanism.