The Way of Not Being

Parmenides mentions a third way, the way of non-existence or non-being. In his book, The Dark Places of Wisdom, Peter Kingsley has argued that Parmenides's account is actually referring to the ancient practice of incubation. This goes beyond the provable, of course, but it's perfectly plausible. And archaeological finds of incubation caves at Parmenide's hometown of Velya lend striking weight to Kingsley's interpretation.