...analyze and contrast and most of us would agree with Socrates when he makes the claim that “…the unexamined life is not worth living…” From a more personal standpoint I would completely agree with Socrates point of view, due to the fact most of us in society have chosen to live an “unexamined life” for centuries and as a result we live in a society where one is segregated from our freewill as human beings as well as a society that that is restrained by rules and other types of social “walls”. Today there appears to be an ever increasing fascination with the bold statement that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” The man simply and directly states that lives that are not examined are not worth living. One might ask why Socrates would make such a strong and irrevocable statement. Well, Socrates believed the purpose of life was spiritual and through the spirit and soul one could achieve personal growth and development. Man is unable to grow towards a greater and true understanding of his nature unless we are willing to examine and reflect upon our lives. Santayana, another philosopher, stated “He who does not remember the past is condemned to repeat it.” I think as humans it is in our nature to examine and question, to hope and aspire. Think about it, without aspirations how can we attain excellence? Without asking yourself and planning where you want to go or head in life; how can you work towards your goals if you do not know what makes you as a person tick? Reflection...
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...A Life’s Worth by James Adrian S. Amparado Life is beautiful, when you have your loved ones and having an experience of wonderful. The love given, and in return much love received and woven. Living the life of love, that is the life that we should have. Knowing the value of the self, the love and to it, makes the life worth it. This is how I value life, it starts by knowing thy self. This short poem that I made is about a life’s worth of a person. Having knowledge of life running through a person, attaching love and experience to the way of life. One statement made me do it. A statement told by a philosopher named Socrates about life. The most interesting and influential thinker in the fifth century was Socrates, whose dedication to careful reasoning transformed the entire initiative. He pursued genuine knowledge rather than mere victory over an opponent, Socrates employed the same logical tricks developed by the Sophists to a new purpose, the pursuit of truth. Thus, his willingness to call everything into question and his determination to accept nothing less than a suitable account of the nature of things make him the first clear promoter of critical philosophy. Although he was well known during his own time for his conversational skills and public teaching, Socrates wrote nothing. Nevertheless, it is usually assumed that at least the early dialogues of Plato provide an accurate representation of Socrates himself. "The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates...
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...INTRODUCTION Socrates believed that the purpose of human life was personal and spiritual growth. We are unable to grow towards greater understanding of our true nature unless we take the time to examine and reflect upon our life. Examining our life reviles pattern of our behavior. Deeper contemplation yields understanding of the subconscious programming, the powerful mental software that runs our life. Unless we become aware of those patterns, much of our life is unconscious pattern. We all have blind spots sometimes when I examine a chronic problem in my life, I have unsetting feeling that I must be missing something, but I can’t quite see what it is. We try to examine ourselves but none of us can use our backside (our shadow) That’s why Socrates’ method of self examination includes an essential element that becomes Socratic dialogue. Dialoguing with a close friend, a spouse a skilled psychotherapist or spiritual advisers help reveal those blind spot we cannot see by our selves. This quote is from Socrates believed that the purpose of human life was personal and spiritual growth. We are unable to grow towards greater understanding of our true nature unless we take time to examine and reflect upon our life. Examining our life reveals pattern of behavior unless we become aware of these pattern, much of our life is unconscious repetition however many times we are too busy with our life and work to contemplate fully our life’s pattern. According to Socrates we need to stop and...
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...Unexamined Life Many people nowadays have really been questioning and asking themselves, “What’s the purpose of life”? If you really been questioning that then you’re really not living life to your fullest potential. The intelligent Greece philosopher Socrates once said “An unexamined life is not worth living”. Socrates stated this statement because it is saying one should examine their selves first before judging others in society and find the meaning and happiness of life. Socrates general reason for making this claim in my opinion is because is because he was tired of people living the “lazy’ life and not going beyond their ability to achieve the best to their ability. Socrates was put on trial for many things. Most importantly Socrates was put on trial because he was talking about false Gods and corrupting the youth. Socrates was a debatable person and hardly anyone on the town liked him. Socrates was known as someone who would challenge anyone's thinking; he did it through his endless and circular Socratic dialogues, and Socrates publicly questioned the Gods Athenians worshiped. Socrates was found guilty and was then sentenced. He would abide by the law and didn't even try to convince the jury he was innocent. Socrates preformed his own sentence on his own by drinking poison and ended up killing himself. Socrates really did not have a lot of fans on his side because everyone just thought he was better and wiser than them. The only way they were able to get rid of him was...
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...After reading Plato’s Apology there are many questions that filled my head. Whether it was what Socrates meant when explaining his defense, or what the Athenian court members had based their moral and ethical views from. More importantly, Socrates was a philosopher, and he strived to find answers, even when they were not easy to discover. This led me to Socrates’ idea, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates was a strong advocate of this statement and supported it in front of the Oracle of Delphi and in the Athenian court. I was very interested with Socrates statement, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” When I first discovered this statement the first thought that popped in my head was how serious Socrates was. There was...
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...chapter 1 of Prelude to Philosophy: An Introduction for Christians, “What is Philosophy?” As you read, make sure you understand the following points and questions: • List 4 reasons students often presuppose a low view of philosophy. o They think you have to be super intelligent to do philosophy o Most students study it late in their academic development o Most people do not think philosophy is practical o They do not know what it is or how it can benefit them • Know Socrates’ quote: What is the unexamined life? What did he mean when he said it wasn’t worth living? o Socrates was saying that the unexamined life is when people go through the motions of life without making the effort to reflect and think about what life is about. When Socrates says the unexamined life is not worth living, he is saying that we are not living the life we were created to live. To live a less than fulfilled life. • Know the etymology of the word “philosophy.” o Philosophy is a combination of two terms in greek: phileo and sopho. Phileo is a term for “love” Sophos is the word for wisdom. • Know the working definition of “philosophy” and explain each of its elements. o Philosophy is the...
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...Taking Socrates meaning into account, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” How might that apply to our lives and culture today? When I reflect on the Socrates statement I believe it follows logical implication with a persons assumption or consequence. Free speech is what our culture is today I would like to know that when a person tells me something he or she is speaking the truth, as a child of God I know his word is true because he said it is. Each person views life differently than the other unless you follow Jesus Christ and his ways, which are set firm in his word. According to Mark B. Woodhouse his book “A Preface to Philosophy”. He stated two beliefs logically imply each other when the truth of one requires the truth of the other. Do I believe Socrates statement the “Unexamined life is not worth living” is true? I personally go both ways with his statement I agree we should examine life especially if were a Christian for example if there are sins in our life that needs to be taken care of so we can move forward from the bondage that sin can have in our life, we should do that so our heart is pure before God and he will forgive us of our sins. As God said in 1John 4:1-6 we should test the spirit first before making any decision, so we can make the right choice, which will have a positive outcome. Word Count 325 words with intro and 251...
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...Running Head: THE PHILOSOPHY OF SOCRATES 1 The Philosophy of Socrates: A Lover of Wisdom (2052 Words) THE PHILOSOPHY OF SOCRATES 2 The lessons of life that are delivered by Socrates act as a basis for Western philosophy. Plato, the writer of The Apology, significantly respects Socrates and his dialogues act as a framework for our understanding in the passages. Our only record of his life comes from his associates, as Socrates never documented his opinions. A clear expression of Socrates’ philosophy is represented in The Apology. The purpose of this paper is to establish a clear demonstration of Socrates’ philosophy using The Apology as reference, and also explain my personal view on philosophy. In the first section of this paper, the famous statement from Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living”, will be connected when explaining three principle components of his philosophy: Irony, Method and Ethos. The second section of this paper will reveal my personal view on philosophy. Rahut’s claim on philosophy being the study of “open questions” will be supported by examples and descriptions. In the case that a question cannot be accurately answered or proven with our existing knowledge, I demonstrate that it should be classified as an ‘open question’. Throughout section 17-18 of The...
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...Nature of Thought I have always been fascinated by Socrates’ bold quote “The unexamined life is not worth living” (Kirby, 2007, para. 1). He is very powerful with his chosen verbiage in this quote. He does not diminish his statement by saying that the unexamined life is less meaningful than it could be; he clearly states that the unexamined life is not even worth living. Socrates was a big believer in personal and spiritual growth. In fact, he believed that was the sole purpose of human life. Humans must make the time to examine and reflect on life in order to broaden the understanding of it. I will explain the nature of thought by describing what exactly thinking is, identifying a situation in my life where I had an altered perception and the types of perpetual blocks that influence my views. Thinking Thinking is the ability for a person to put in perspective his or her thought processes (Smith, 2003). Processes that allow a person to develop views on situations based on his or her beliefs and past experiences (Smith, 2003). Thinking uses the data that one previously learned to process the results and put it into action. Humans are the only creatures that can do this, we can think before we react. There is a strong need to express thoughts because it is human nature to want to explore and to learn. The mind is like any other muscle in the body and must be stimulated on a regular basis in order to reach and maintain full potential (Kirby, 2007). The eBook, Thinking: An Interdisciplinary...
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...1. Peter Singer and Joseph DesJardins have some important discussion about decision-making. Even though they have different approaches in making decisions, both of their ideas focus on ethical choices. In Ivan Boesky’s Choice, Peter Singer mentioned ultimate choice and restricted choice. While restricted choices are made more often in daily life, ultimate choices are made when one is facing a decision that can benefit himself or can go against his ethical values. In my understanding, restricted choices are decisions that can be made without thinking critically or be done with some consideration. These choices are often made by a person’s interest. The decision, whether is good or bad, cannot affect the other’s interests. For example, a student chooses chemistry to study even though she doesn’t enjoy this subject. Although her decision might result in a lower grade in this course, it will not affect her classmates. On the other hand, ultimate choices are decisions that can affect not only a person’s interest, but also the others’. Unlike making restricted decisions, a person has to think critically and carefully before the ultimate decisions are made about the consequences. If a person respects his ethical values, it’s likely for him to make a good decision. If he decides to benefit himself, he might make a bad choice, and it might result in unpredicted consequences. For example, the same student who picked chemistry, and at this moment, she is having a really hard time. The...
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...Socrates, the Father of Western Philosophy, is known to have said, ‘The unexamined life is not worth living’. With the word unexamined, I believe Socrates might have referred to observed, analyzed, or inspected carefully. It is common for individuals to question whether their life has purpose, or not. I do agree that it is important to reflect on, study, or analyze one’s life and the lives of others. The attitude one has with reference to self, or others, is influential for how one views life. An arrogant attitude, that of one who believes he or she ‘knows it all’, is often an offensive characteristic that closes doors to relationships and opportunities. A humble attitude contributes to a willingness to examine one’s life, and the lives of those around – a genuine open-mindedness, one with a true learner’s heart. To be willing to read or listen to a different point of view without feeling threatened, embarrassed, or humiliated is part of reflecting. Sharing of one’s self without being dogmatic, gullible, inflexible, or unchangeable is another goal with the examined life. One who is not willing to examine, or ask the hard questions when life seems unfair or does not make sense, misses out on a rich depth that can rise from the ashes of tragedy. An active ownership of life offers a higher degree of satisfaction versus a more passive, mindless ‘going through the motions’ which has an attitude of investing the least amount of energy and yields a greater degree of...
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...words, his words survived. One of his famous quotes "the unexamined life is not worth living". Socrates said that if he was unable to examine life, he would not be really living. For Socrates, living meant being able to inquire about the things around him. I believe that living an examined life is important to having a successful life. People who are living an examined life are people who have thought about their life, how they will achieve their next goal, and how has the past affected them. People who are living an examined life are people who have thought about their life, how they will...
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...Since he did not write anything throughout his life what we know of Socrates is from very detailed writings from one of his famous students, Plato. The authority of Athens had made charges against Socrates for preaching to the citizens on not believing in the Gods. Authority also believed that Socrates was corrupting the youth by questioning their own views of the Gods. (Petrik 16) The socratic method was the main process that socrates focused on to help question the young men of Athens. When using the Socratic method, Socrates would go up to his fellow citizens and begin to question them as if he had no knowledge on the topic. This caused Socrates to learn how other had thought and how much wisdom others had. This helped Socrates try to prove the oracle wrong by investigating whether he truly...
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...through realism by depicting the period, showing the lack of leadership and community togetherness through a host of scenarios, which leads to the destruction of the neighborhood pizza shop that had been a part of community for technically three decades. Lee also mastered the art of demonstrating the lifestyles and attitudes of the community through music specific the era and the ethnic upbringing, by using prompts that give the illusion of how hot the temperatures were, which lends itself to the mounting tension among racial divide. An overview of the film or performance Do the Right Thing is a movie that takes place in 1989, in a Brooklyn neighborhood called Bedford-Stuyvesant. The movie is a depiction of the everyday life of people living in a specific neighborhood without good leadership and a community that respects each other. The lack of leadership, structure and guidance, in the neighborhoods leaves a community full of racial tension. Description of the film general theme, plot,...
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...As one analyzes the “Apology” by Plato, one is able to analyze and contrast and most people would agree with Socrates when he claims that “…the unexamined life is not worth living…”. From a more personal standpoint I would completely agree with Socrates point of view, due to the fact most of us in society have chosen to live the “unexamined life” for centuries and as a result we live in a society where one has to live segregated from our freewill as human beings as well as a society that is restrained by rules and other types of social “walls”. He asks the jury's forgiveness if he slips into his usual conversational style. This is his first appearance in a court of law, he explains, and so he is completely unfamiliar with the language of the place. As the jurors might forgive a foreigner for speaking in his accustomed dialect, Socrates asks their patience if he, a stranger to the law courts, might speak as he normally would as well. Rather than pay attention to his style, Socrates asks the jurors to pay attention to the substance of his speech and consider whether what he says is true or not. Commentary The sharp contrast that runs throughout this first section lies between the studied, artificial--and false--speech of Socrates' accusers, and Socrates' own improvised, conversational--and true--speech. At this time in Athens, there were a great many sophists, professional teachers who would instruct the wealthy youth of the city in oratory. Throughout his works, Plato gives...
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