The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living Essay - 1051 Words

Socrates was considered by many to be the wisest man in ancient Greece. While he was eventually condemned for his wisdom, his spoken words are still listened to and followed today. When, during his trial, Socrates stated that, â€Å"the unexamined life is not worth living† (Plato 45), people began to question his theory. They began to wonder what Socrates meant with his statement, why he would feel that a life would not be worth living. To them, life was above all else, and choosing to give up life would be out of the picture. They did not understand how one would choose not to live life just because he would be unable to examine it. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Socrates felt that if he was unable to examine life, he would not be really†¦show more content†¦Socrates shocked everyone when he said he would choose death over anything else. However, the answer to why he would do that lies in his statement. Socrates knew that, had he choose to go into exile, he would be expected to stop living the way that he was. He would no longer be able to teach others, let alone question and examine his own life. For Socrates, this would be absurd. He believed the entire point of living life was to examine. He felt obligated to live a life where he questioned not only what was going on in his life but also the rights and wrongs that happened. He would rather give up his life than not be able to question what was happening. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Philosophy is about questioning life and the world one lives in. Without questioning and wondering, life and philosophy would be worthless. An unexamined life would lead to one that was without question and curiosity, something which Socrates could not fathom. Without the curiosity that comes with examining life, philosophy would fail to exist. According to Socrates, a great philosopher, life would not be worth living without the addition of the philosophical thinking that helped to make our lives more exciting and worthwhile. Socrates lived his life to question and to wonder. The addition of philosophy made this possible. If examining ceased to exist, so would the life of those whoShow MoreRelatedUnexamined Life Is Not Worth Living1851 Words   |  8 Pagesconvicted for impiety to the gods and for corrupting the youth because he had taught the young adults to question, he was given the opportunity to propose his own penalty. He refused to give up his missio n as the one calling Athens to the examined way of life. He refused to leave Athens, if the condition were to be that he had to give up teaching. He summed up his defense in the following way: If I say that I cannot hold my peace (by giving up my mission) because that would be to disobey the godRead MoreThe Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living1450 Words   |  6 Pagesb) The unexamined life is not worth living, quoted Socrates. It appears that, following his brilliant logic, the key to living philosophically is exactly how one interprets and scrutinizes their own life in a philosophical context. As with the nature of philosophy itself, living philosophically is also ambiguous, and it could very well be that one lives philosophically even if they do not necessarily realize it. Take, for instance, a person who questions why humans and all life forms must die;Read MoreUnexamined Life Not Worth Living For1300 Words   |  6 PagesUnexamined Life Not Worth Living For In this paper I will argue that Socrates is right about an unexamined life is no worth living for, however too much examination leads to the absurd and too little tends to keep you from obtaining knowledge, not being able to free your-self as humans are meant to be free. Socrates was a philosopher who believed that humans were meant to obtain all type of knowledge, and that such knowledge could only be achieved through examination. As Socrates stated â€Å"it is theRead MoreThe Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living1834 Words   |  8 PagesThe unexamined life is not worth living. (Apology, 41e) Socrates held this statement to himself to a point where he allowed the courts to take his life because they don’t want him to continue his quest of insights, questions and knowledge. The philosophy of Socrates as explained by Plato offers an important concept of what it means to live the examined life and what makes a life either examined or unexamined. The combination of Euthyphro, The Apology and the Republic help understand what SocratesRead MoreThe, The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living1744 Words   |  7 Pages I wholeheartedly embrace the sentiments of Socrates when Plato stated in the Apology, â€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living. † Upon reflection, and asking myself, what exactly does this mean, I feel as if my life has evolved full circle. I finally understand the meaning and purpose of my life – the myth I believe and know I should be living. This course has put a lot of things into perspective for me by putting my thoughts, experiences, and feelings into words and statements that prior to I couldRead MoreThe Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living Essay1577 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living.† This quote, by a famous philosopher Socrates, amplifies the idea of critical thinking and its true importance. This quote explains that if we as individuals do not evaluate ourselves, then we stop living as human beings.This quote can present what is truly at stake when dealing with critical thinking. Critical thinking allows human beings to question the status quo naturally with no effect. Critical thinking is an important practice and technique one shouldRead MoreThe Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living1344 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"An unexamined life is not worth living† Imagine living a life without change, development and growth. Imagine living a life without any consciousness of what life has to offer. As mind-boggling as this may sound, there are actually many people on this earth that have not taken the effort to know themselves. People should be able to fairly judge their lives. Man should be able to gain wisdom by the examinations of the deeds they’ve done to prepare for the future. Life is no longer worth livingRead MoreUnexamined Life Is Not Worth Living964 Words   |  4 Pagespremise that â€Å"the unexamined life is not worth living†. To understand this quote, we should know what a premise is in relation to his quote. A premise is using a statement to support an opinionated conclusion, for example, getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night lets you wake up not tired, proving that you should go to sleep early. So, what he means by an â€Å"unexamined life is not worth living† is that a life without being producti ve or bettering yourself isn’t a life worth living because you don’tRead MoreThe Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living2068 Words   |  9 PagesProject Due Date: 12/04/2014 Date Submitted: 12/04/2014 Myth/Narrative I Am Living I enthusiastically embrace the sentiment of Socrates that, â€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living.† Upon reflection, and asking myself, what exactly does this mean, I feel as if my life has progressed full circle. I finally understand, to a greater extent, the meaning and purpose of my life – the myth I believe and know I should be living. Through the course readings, text, and concepts, the authors have inspiredRead MoreThe Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living1629 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living,† Plato says in The Apology. When people think about the great problems facing humanity, their attention tends to turn to issues such as poverty, warfare, pollution, and disease. While these problems are important and urgent, there are other problems which are equally urgent, but often overlooked. Are human beings born with a map for life? Can that map lead people to happiness? If there is a map, every human being can attain ha ppiness easily. Is there any