Chapter 536: First tell me whether Socrates really exists

The party on the yacht was quite lively, but Xiao Peng just sat there without any interest. He just drank and watched Kasim and the others bragging to the girls.

He wanted to be quiet and figure out the matter of Yasmine, but Billy kept talking in his ear about his dream of 'Atlantis'.

"Idol, believe me! Atlantis really exists." Billy's voice interrupted Xiao Peng's thoughts.

Xiao Peng looked at Billy helplessly. This guy was definitely not mentally normal.

But he was sure that Billy was definitely not a fool.

Just now, chatting with Billy made him more certain of this view. How could he be bad coming from such a family? He was also a super elite who grew up under the influence of elite education.

This guy graduated from King's College London, received a Doctor of Laws degree at the age of 28, and has also obtained registered lawyer qualifications in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. He also passed the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification and worked in financial investment analysis at BNP Paribas for two years...

This kind of experience is something everyone would envy, right? Billy, claiming his job interfered with his online gaming, quit. He's so self-indulgent, having no shortage of money. But he also offered an explanation: He didn't want to live a life of mediocrity.

Xiao Peng really wanted to slap him: "Do you have some misunderstanding about the word 'mediocre'? The gas cost of driving your yacht from Norway to France is equivalent to the average person's several months' income, okay?"

Xiao Peng couldn't help but shook his head and said, "Let me tell you another possibility?"

"What's possible?" Billy asked.

Xiao Peng said, "It was Plato who first proposed the concept of Atlantis. He himself admitted that his legend of 'Atlantis' came from ancient Egypt. At that time, contact between ancient Greece and ancient Egypt was more frequent, and it was more difficult than crossing the Atlantic Ocean. You can't deny this, right?"

Billy nodded.

Xiao Peng snapped his fingers. "Ancient Egypt experienced numerous geological disasters, including the sinking of many buildings in the ancient Egyptian port of Alexandria into the surrounding waters. Many geographers and historians of Plato's time have described this in great detail. And in 1996, French marine archaeologist Franck Goddio led his team to discover Alexander the Great's palace on the seabed near the port of Atlanta, along with numerous statues and temples dedicated to the gods. Did you know about this?"

"Of course I know!" Billy said.

Xiao Peng continued to ask, "Then why are records from the same era as Plato confirmed to be true, while what Plato said has not been proven to this day?"

Billy said, "My idol, you're an ocean explorer, so you shouldn't be asking me this! How big is the ocean? How difficult is it to search the seabed? Even if there's a shipwreck in the ocean within our field of vision right now, it might take months or even years to search. And this area of ocean is only a grain of sand compared to the entire Atlantic Ocean. Finding Atlantis might require luck and time. Even if I can't find it, someone else will surely find it."

Xiao Peng sighed: "Have you ever thought about this? What if what Plato said is false?"

"Fake?" Billy was stunned.

Xiao Peng nodded and said, "He's not Aristotle, and research into history and geography isn't his forte. How could a casual remark in his Dialogues become something you believe so firmly? If everything he said is true, then tell me what kind of person was Socrates? Did he really exist?"

Billy was speechless after hearing this.

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are known as the "Three Great Men of Ancient Greece." Plato is the "Philosopher King," whose philosophical theories still haunt countless students today. Aristotle, on the other hand, was an encyclopedic scientist, a jack of all trades, a man who knew everything from astronomy to geography. As a renowned thinker, some of Aristotle's ideas dominated geography and other disciplines for millennia...

The status of these three people in the Western world is quite high. When Galileo threw two iron balls from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, he shocked the entire Western world. Now many people can't understand why Galileo's playing with two iron balls had such a great influence.

The real reason is that over 1,800 years ago, Aristotle clearly stated that "heavier objects fall faster than lighter objects." And for over 1,800 years, Aristotle's words have been treated as "golden law" and no one has questioned them! Because he was a "sage," his words were right!

However, Xiao Peng was just asking about Socrates, one of the "Three Great Men of Ancient Greece." Unlike Plato and Aristotle, this one of the "Three Great Men of Ancient Greece" was a complete fabrication!

Socrates' status in the eyes of Westerners is similar to that of Confucius in the eyes of the Chinese. The relationship between the "Three Great Men of Ancient Greece" is this: Plato was Aristotle's teacher, and Socrates was Plato's teacher.

But if you really compare Socrates with Confucius, Xiao Peng feels that it is an insult to Confucius.

The Chinese people value "pragmatism". When Confucius was alive, he was recognized as one of the most learned people at that time. He was honored as "the wooden bell of heaven" and "the sage of heaven" while he was still alive. Although the Confucian classic "The Analects of Confucius" was also compiled by his disciples and their disciples and has nothing to do with Confucius, Confucius also traveled around the countries for 14 years and revised the Six Classics when he was alive. These things were all done in a down-to-earth manner.

And what about Socrates?

From the Western point of view: Socrates was born into an ordinary family and lived a poor life all his life. No matter it was cold or hot, he wore thin clothes and devoted himself to studying.

However, no writings survive from him, and there's no evidence that he actually existed. All accounts of him were recorded by Plato and later generations. Most of these accounts were from Plato himself, and some even created plays based on Plato's accounts of Socrates' life.

From an observer's perspective, if Socrates' fame is not exaggerated, then what is it?

Even Western scholars themselves cannot produce evidence that Socrates really existed. All the stories about Socrates come from "they said".

Of course, some people say: According to this theory, isn't Plato mentally ill? Why did he go to such lengths to praise Socrates?

In fact, if we consider the family background of Plato's characters, we can understand why he did this.