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"In Heraclides' narrative known as ""The Festival Allegory,"" Pythagoras ironically answers to tyrant Leon that he has no skill (sophia), and he is content only to love (philein) knowledge (sophia), thus defining philosophia as a yearning after sophia, understood as superior and disinterested knowledge. The hypothesis according to which this allegory had been created from Plato's mature works is unlikely since the sophia/philosophia motif can already be traced in the latter's first dialogues. Furthermore, the comparison developed by Pythagoras to define philosophia refers to the ""three lives"" motif by far anterior to Plato himself. Lastly, the importance given to philia and sophia among early Pythagoreans is another ground for ascribing the origin of this allegory to ancient Pythagorism."