The Pythagorean brotherhood (whose beliefs were religious but which developed the ideas that influenced Plato and Aristotle and contributed to the development of mathematics and Western rational philosophy) was founded by Pythagoras (c. 570-c. 500-490 BCE), a Greek philosopher, mathematician, and philosopher. The first fragmentary accounts of Pythagoras's life, which date to the fourth century BCE, are the only records that survive. Because little is known about Pythagoras from contemporary accounts, it is difficult to distinguish his ideas from those of his disciples. Pythagoras is unlikely to have composed any books, and Pythagoreans always used their master's authority to support their arguments, regardless of what he said.