The Zeno-Socrates dialogs Chapter 8

Zeno's paradoxes as the predecessor of all hologram theory: The Zeno-Socrates dialogs:

The Zeno-Socrates dialogs

NOW EXPANDED, UPDATED, EDITED AND AVAILABLE ON AMAZON:

Chapter 8

By Exia, a servant in Zeno's house and future grandmother to Eudoxus of Cnidus.

They arrived early in Athens, the streets choked with carts, mules, pedestrians, market stalls, exotic animals, slaves and bordered on either side by the tallest buildings in Greece.  Their court appearance was for the next morning.  

Parmenides absolutely refused to be housed with Socrates, in fact he refused to spend another minute in his company despite his offer to intoroduce him to his friend of the scroll distribution business, a deme of Colytus, named Ariston.  Zeno felt, having brought Socrates into his circle, that he had to accompany him to see if there was anything more to be learned of this sordid affair of his and to learn of anything that could be used in their defense.

Parmenides did not accompany them, choosing to rest after the unwelcome long journey and to take the chance to secure to them whatever allegiances his many friends in Athens might offer.

Aristan’s house in Anthens was a massive affair, with twin doors that stood open to an inner wall with a walk for its defense, empty now in the lengthy peace and  which was entered through an iron gate which led to a comfortable inner sanctum.

“Come in, come in.  Make yourselves comfortable.  Bring refreshments for our guests,” Aristan said referring to a well dressed servant as they were introduced into the living room.

“Young Socrates, you have created quite a bit of mischief.  And this is the philosopher and may i say “physicist” Zeno who I have heard so much about?  Welcome to my home.”

“I only wish it was under more pleasant circumstances, sir.  I am sorry for any inconvenience I or my mischievous friend here has caused.”

“Oh no inconvenience to me, I assure you.  The manuscript was circulated by another and my hands are entirely clean of the matter.  I have no time for such lurid things, I’m afraid and my duties have, sadly, kept me ignorant of much current philosophy.  But I am a fan of it and the quick mind of Socrates has amused me and my guests many a night.”

At this point they were interrupted by a large food and beverage service brought by a veritable army of servants and accompanied by a lady of great stature and beauty holding a small child to her breast.  Zeno worried that Socrates would say something or worse do something of great stupidity under the circumstances.  Before he could think how to act, Aristan said, “Well come my dear.  You see who we have for company?  It is your favorite, Socrates.  And he has brought with him Zeno of Elea, a great philosopher and student of our friend Parmenides.  Zeno, this is my wife, Perictione”

“It  is a pleasure to meet you, Zeno.  I have heard much of you and some of your fame precedes recent events.”

While Zeno was attempting to respond first to Aristan and lead into their current problem, Socrates moved on Perictione.

“Oh and this is your new heir!” Socrates said going to stand over the child.  “And what is his name?”

“We have decided to call him Plato.” She said proudly.

“Plate-o-what?  Why he looks a little green, perhaps he is a plate o’ spinach.  Oh but he is a handsome green child.  And look at those intelligent eyes.  He has the beauty of his father and the intelligent  eyes of the mother.  I will have him for my student when I have my own school if you will let me.”

“This young man will be the death of me,” Zeno said.  “I hope you do not attribute his rudeness to me.”  Socrates had begun to dig into the food and was signalling for wine to a pretty girl who may have been a slave from her scant dress.

“Don’t worry sir,” Perictione said.  “We are all well used to the antics of Socrates which make him a welcome diversion from an often droll capital and a very quiet rural home in Colytus.”

“I am afraid madam, we come to you and your husband in a state of some distress.”

“I would not worry if I were you, for I have arranged for my cousin Solon to represent you.”

“I am not sure that anyone can rescue us from Draco.”

“I have great respect for my wife’s cousin.  He is an upcoming lawmaker and something of a poet.  Some even say he has his eye on Draco’s job.”  Both Pericitione and Socrates laughed at Arison’s joke.  

When Solon entered the room Socrates jumped up. The two bumped chests like young bulls. Zeno noted that Solon was at most a year or two older than Socrates.

Zeno felt his stomach tighten and inwardly mused that he would have been happier if he had stayed ignorant and at home with Parmenides.

The Zeno-Socrates dialogs Chapter 7 (of 17)

Zeno's paradoxes as the predecessor of all hologram theory: The Zeno-Socrates dialogs:

The Zeno-Socrates dialogs

Chapter 7

By Exia, a servant in Zeno's house and future grandmother to Eudoxus of Cnidus.

The scene is a remote area between Athens and Elea.  A lion's roar has just charged the air around the small circle of light made by a fire.

Exia who has been tending the fire turns nervously towards the sound.

“Come to me dear, I will protect you,” young Socrates says from the fire.

“We’re all getting ready to be hung or worse.  Don’t you think you could keep your manhood within your tunic?” Parmenides pleads.

“You are being excessively gloomy, my dear sir.  This fresh air seems to have increased all of my appetites.”

“Of for the love of god, Zeno, why must we travel with this boil on my old arse?”

“Because, my friend, we must get our stories straight unless you want your neck straightened and I’m afraid only young Socrates knows what our stories are supposed to be.”

“Perhaps our young satir wants to explain why were are going to Athens for our executions?”

“Indeed, young Socrates, the horses are tended, the lion appears to be at bey for the moment and whether we are eaten on the road or in Athens I think the time has come for you to explain what you are about.”

“Truthfully,” Socrates began, “it was all a matter of my enthusiasm for your teachings, to share with the world…”

“Oh for the sake of whoever brings the word of the gods at some later time, get to the crux of the matter.  It is bad enough I should be tortured in my old age by Draco without being tortured by your prevarication.”

“I was a little short, I’m afraid.  I realized the work you had would be of great interest.  I had a very clear scroll of the discussions.  A friend of mine is a scroller in Athens.  I thought the work could make me a few drachmas.  He agreed.  But your names were not on any of it, at least I am pretty sure it was not.”

“I will kill him myself,” Parmenides said grabbing a rusty sword and swaying to his feet.  Socrates looked with alarm and confusion.

“Calm yourself, please” Zeno said grabbing his friends arm.  “You will only make him suffer a shorter time.  Better to let Draco take his skin off one portion at a time.”

Parmenides seemed ready to shake him off, but he let the sword drop from his hands.  “Truly I am too old for all of this."

The Zeno-Socrates dialogs Chapter 6

Zeno's paradoxes as the predecessor of all hologram theory: The Zeno-Socrates dialogs:

The Zeno-Socrates dialogs

Chapter 6

By Exia, a servant in Zeno's house and future grandmother to Eudoxus of Cnidus.

“What is the meaning of this?” Zeno asked after the guards had made room for the courier who entered the room officiously.

“I have come for Zeno and Parmenides of Elea, with a summons from Athens.  They are to appear before Draco on charges of sedition.”

“Sedition?” Mel asked, “I have been a student of theirs for many years and a more patriotic Greek is not to be found.”

“And who are you?”

“I am Mellius of Elea and my father it the Mayor and governor of this place.”

“Well, you had best keep your tongue in your head if you know what is good for you and your father.”  Of this there seemed more bluster and less certainty and the guard outside, half of whom were local soldiery known to Socrates looked nervously at one another, uncertain where this was gone.  Draco was known for being severe and defaulted to the death penalty wherever the situation called for debate, some even were calling activities of similar oppression, “draconian” although quietly lest they feel his wrath.  Still, this small town had its own little army and was some distance from his domain and none of the Athenian soldiery knew how the Erian soldiery would react if pushed.  

“You will have to deal with us first,” said Aella, putting her hand on a wicked knife on her belt.

It looked as if things were about to get ugly and the eating had stopped in its entirety except for fat Baccus who seemed not to have noticed the interruption of lunch and the pending battle which was building like a summer rain storm in the crowded room and the courtyard beyond as the soldiers slowly moved apart.

“Where do these charges come from?” Zeno come from.

“From a publisher in Athens who has circulated your works.”

“My works?” Zeno asked looking about the room.  His eyes lit on Socrates who seemed to be trying to disappear into the corner of a couch and not at all trying to seduce anyone in the room.  “Oh for the love of the gods!”

Socrates, seeing all eyes turn towards him following the gaze of Zeno and knowing that the “jig was up” stood up, unfolding with a royal air despite his near nakedness and addressing the courier said “I believe I can clear this up,”  Socrates studiously avoided the gazes of everyone in the room who were now fixed upon him.

“We are all doomed,” Parmenides said too quietly for the courier to hear.

“And who the hell,” the courier asked, “are you?”

“I am Socrates and well known both here and in Athens.”

“Indeed you are well known,” the courier said reaching into his bag, “I have a summons for you also.”

What do you want

It would be a kindness to spare this prose I suppose
but how else to share what should stay hidden

I swam over 11,000 yards this week
with my inner ear issues
that means my world is spinning
just like yours, but faster

Felt a little more than you
and more still tomorrow
suffering for the sake of later
more later means harder now

what do you want in life
do you want it to stop spinning
or do you accept the nausea
make your own image

what you don't need
to be complete
you still might accept
to add beauty to the world

imagine a world imperfect
unimaginative, dull and lonely
settling for what purpose
suffer to live there easily

or whatever the cost
strive to get where we want
the way we want it to be
where and how we want to live

The Zeno-Socrates dialogs Chapter 5

Zeno's paradoxes as the predecessor of all hologram theory: The Zeno-Socrates dialogs:

The Zeno-Socrates dialogs

Chapter 5

By Exia, a servant in Zeno's house and future grandmother to Eudoxus of Cnidus.

“I am starving, pray have something brought to me to eat.” Socrates cried in mock agony.

“I suppose it is close enough to lunch time.”

“You two always forget if I do not remind you.  Your ‘physics’ seem to provide you with adequate nourishment, but it does not at all due for an active youth.”

“A little too active.  Exia!  Bring us our lunch now if you would.”

It was warm now.  The doors and windows of the house were thrown open and a cool breeze came in which only barely made it comfortable and even the old men had shed their shirts as they discussed philosophy.

A few other student had come to join the group.  “Everything that now exist in one and continuous.  It is not divisible because it shares a common source.  Existence is timeless and uniform.”  Parmenides lectured.  Socrates knew that if Zeno were here, instead of out dealing with matters of his estate, he would take umbrage with at least some of this.

“I have a question,” said Mellissus, who everyone called Mel and who was made fun of because he had to bring his younger sister Aella, whose name was appropriate and would not let herself be left behind, “I have heard Zeno question this unchanging nature of things.  While he agrees on the oneness, he also says there is some form of change.”

“Zeno believes in something called “infinite series.  His equations dealing with circles that he has borrowed from the Babylonians, like that toy Socrates is playing with,” At this Socrates put the batter down and moved to sit next to Aella who was both comly and powerful and thus alluring to a young man of his tastes, “that is the thing that defines circles.  He believes that if you apply these concepts to philosophy you can come back to the same place but still have change on a larger level.”

“A larger level?”  

“Yes, what we are talking about, existence means exactly what you imagine it to be on a large level.  But hidden in what we perceive, are these things like pi, the ratio of a circle that define things which can exist in mathematics, but not in reality.”

Allea pulled away from the awkward advances of Socrates and to draw attention to her and those, perhaps to discourage the young man asked, “How did this come to you, pray tell master Parmenides?”

Parmenides paused for a moment and then, with a teasing tone said, “I was taken by a goddess, Dike she was, beyond the realm of mortal men, and told the secrets of the infinite and the world beyond time as we know it.”

“That,” a voice called from the doorway, “is a story we do not talk about.”  Zeno had entered the room and gave a stern look at Parmenides.  “What my associate should be telling you is that an examination of reality using the tools of philosophy, provide these answers intuitively and without the need for the goddess of women’s love for one another.”

Parmenides seemed about to say something, but to Socrates’ immense disappointment they were interrupted by the carrying of food into the room by several servants supervised by Exia to whom Socrates gave an unrequited wink.

Everyone was talking excitedly when their repast was interrupted by a banging on the door frame.  Looking through the opening, the gathered group was surprised to see a platoon of soldiers behind whom a courier was standing officiously with a small scroll tube held..

The Zeno-Socrates dialogs Chapter 4 (of 17)

Zeno's paradoxes as the predecessor of all hologram theory: The Zeno-Socrates dialogs:

The Zeno-Socrates dialogs

Chapter 4

By Exia, a servant in Zeno's house and future grandmother to Eudoxus of Cnidus.

now edited and available on amazon! 

The two older men were dozing by a fire.

“This is really quite extraordinary,” Socrates said to Exia who was cleaning up, there being no one else to talk to except for a cur which slept between the fire and the other men.

“I suspect I understand it better than you do,” she replied, then she let out a gasp as Socrates grabbed her wrist.  The cur looked up.

“Don’t joke with me about this.  This is all really quite extraordinary.”

“Please let me go,” she said softly.

“Oh, sorry,” Socrates said releasing her.  “But if you do understand this, do not tease me.”

Exia looked at the young Socrates, the borrowed robe had come open.  She was uncertain how to take him, his reputation not being an honorable one, but his intellect rumored to be extraordinary and his loyalty to Zeno clear if disrepectful.  “What is it you want to ask me.”

“Listen to this from Parmenides, ‘The world is an unchanging, ungenerated indestructible whole.’”

“And?”

“And then Zeno writes this in response, ‘If time exists independent of linearity and dimension, then it may create things from nothing by becoming linear.  There is therefore a duality between what appears to be real and what is actually real.’”

Released, Exia walks to the chalkboard, “This series of equations points out that reality as  you know it falls apart as you get smaller and smaller, as things are cut in half and then cut in half again.”

“I don’t understand.  My head is spinning.  Will you sleep with me Exia?”

“I most certainly will not, nor will you get any more wine until I am ordered by my master to get it for you,” Exia said slipping out quickly before Socrates could get the energy to reach for her.

“She seems to understand,” Socrates said to the dog which had walked over during the conversation and who he petted absently.  “Oh but my head hurts badly.  But for the hair of the dog that bit me, eh boy?  Oho, what is this?  “It is all one to me, where I begin for  I shall return there.”  What does it mean?  Does it refer to death?  To life?”  Socrates falls back on his couch dropping the document to the floor and seems to fall asleep.  Then suddenly his eyes go wide.  He grabs the document he had dropped, looking to the two sleeping men and ignoring the fact that the robe has fallen off, he is up in an instant and out into the night clutching the scroll.

The Zeno-Socrates dialogs Chapter 3

Many of you wonder where this story stands as you read it now. Some of you may be wondering how much of it is true and how much of it not.

First, let me get some personal notes out of the way, then to the factual part of it. We'll start with the technical side of things and then we'll go to the historical side of things. Personal: This story is essentially finished, I can describe and count the chapters but I will not say there will not be a typographical correction or two. It is one of those delightful stories that wrote itself, I merely needed to take the time to type it. When I see something come out as a finished piece, it supports the ideas set out in the Einstein Hologram Universe. This includes philosophically the idea that everything happens at once without linear time and that all of our actions are predestined, even those we view as creative. If I was capable of writing something brilliant, this would be it. Were it a country song, I'd have to add a verse about the fact that it was raining the day my momma got out of prison. It is not potentially good because of my writing, but because it could incorporate everything that I have written of any consequence in a historical perspective. Alas, it isn't brilliant, but if I could write something brilliant and this would be it.

Technical: It is pretty much accepted that the concepts of Parmenides and Zeno were "meta-physical" and not "mathematical". However, very little of what they wrote is preserved, much of it is preserved in the lines of poems and these Zeno "paradoxes" that survived and are presented by Socrates. Socrates is "reporting" and his ideas of "physics" are likely very different from those of Zeno and Parmenides. These men, however, were some of the most brilliant men of their time. IT is quite likely that what they were working on was considerably more complicated than what has survived. They did not have quantum mechanics, they did not have relativity and they did not have string theory. There was only rudimentary physics. I gave them "non-linear time theory" because it is mine to give, although it was envisioned by Einstein indirectly at least and is very similar to what String Hologram theory envisions. The main problem before non-linear time theory was a failure to focus on time and attempts to stay within a dimensional framework that fell apart at small sizes, a problem not in common with Non-linear time theory where space, distance, movement, energy and matter are merely manifestations of time. In this sense, NLT is closer to Zeno’s take on reality than the others although for different reasons. Perhaps the lost work of Parmenides and Zeno was closer to Non-linear time theory than that of modern string theorists and perhaps even Einstein. Parmenides' story of how his theory of an unchanging universe exists is something out of an episode of "Ancient Aliens" and I treat it that way later in the story.

Historical: Not only are all the main characters real, but they appear in time and age approximately where they appeared here. There is even sufficient basis in history for the events described in here so great that it is could be argued, with the re-writing of history experienced even today, that it is possible that things happened the way they are described herein, with the possible exception of the ending, and who knows about the ending? Parmenides and Zeno are accepted as "lovers", but that is heresay and I treat it that way. Parmenides, Zeno, Socrates and Plato (he shows up later) studied together sequentially; Parmenides' story of acquiring knowledge of the foundation of the universe is similar to that used here (identical in some respects); there is a trial later and Socrates was actually tired, convicted and sentenced to death for not believing in the gods of Athens. Draco and Solon lived and their interaction was very similar to that given hereafter although whether they ever were actually in the same room is unknown to me. Exia is made up, but Eudoxus was an early mathematician who certainly had a grandmother. Oh, and I know nothing of ancient cheerleaders, but this was around the time of the 88th Olympiad as I understand it. Not that anyone cares. Do you care?

Zeno's paradoxes as the predecessor of all hologram theory: The Zeno-Socrates dialogs:

The Zeno-Socrates dialogs

Chapter 3

By Exia, a servant in Zeno's house and future grandmother to Eudoxus of Cnidus.

It is evening.  The soft glow of Sunset streams in through the windows that have been thrown open for the purpose.  The aged Zeno and ancient Parmenides sit at the table with a sheet of papyrus before them.

“Nothing comes from nothing.  Existnece of things are therefore  necessarily eternal.”

“I quite disagree with you.  There is no reason to believe that existence is anything other than a paradox.”

“Zeno, you must think abou this.  How coudl what is perish?  Yes it might change form, but it must exist.  And how could it come to be if it did not always exist?  If it came into being, where would it have come from?  Coming into being is thus extinguished and destruction is unknown.”

The discussion is interrupted by the entry of young Socrates, slightly inebriated by the look of him.  He is naked.

The woman from before has entered at the same time with a tray with two glasses.  Socrates grabs one of them and collapses into his favorite couch, spilling several scrolls onto the floor.  “Oh thank thee fair Rhea, you have done for me as you did for Dionysus.”

“My name is Exia,” she says.  She sets the remaining goblet before Zeno’s guest and leaves to get another.

“And what did we do to deserve this gift from the gods,” Parmenides asks of the interrupter.

“My feelings are hurt.  You were to instruct me on physics.”

“That was a discussion for this morning.”

“Oh no, you mean the light through that window is not the light of dawn?”

“Not unless the sun has decided to rise in the West or the house has been turned.”

“Truly, it is the fault of the cheerleaders.  For surely they are not virgins and they have beguiled me sorely.”

“Harrumph.  You should stick with their company and allow us our diversions.”

“Please, do not turn me down.  For my heart aches for knowledge though my head aches from my exertions.  And Pray Zeno, can you lend me a robe for the breeze from yon window of your much turned house is bringing a chill to me.”