Is Socrates Not For Man Worth Living?

After having heard the guilty verdict of his trial, Socrates hypothetically entertains a question that he suspects many in the courtroom would want to know. He asks “But Socrates, if you leave us, will you not be able to live quietly, without talking?” (Grube 39). He immediately rejects this idea, explaining that he believes the “unexamined life is not for man worth living” (Grube 39). This sentiment, and Socrates’ philosophy in general, have had a huge influence on western philosophy. Still, what is meant by this statement remains up to interpretation and, even with an agreement about what it means, the statement remains controversial. I aim to tackle both issues: I hope to interpret and define what Socrates meant by the statement and to

Consider the following thought experiment: You go up to someone who is clearly happy, but who does not do what Socrates would call “examining” his or her life. Rather, he or she lives their life through “action,” “passion,” or what have you – generally, moving forward without considerable thought of the kind Socrates prescribes. You, then, tell them that their life is not worth living. Immediately they would call you ridiculous or rude and become extremely angry, justifiably so. There is a huge variety of sources of happiness one could have, many of which, if not a combination of sources, would surpass what many believe is sufficient happiness to make life worth living. Your comment was under the assumption that there is a sufficient level of happiness that comes only from “examination.” We can think of a number of different sources of happiness: friendship, love, eating, and the feeling of accomplishment, to name only a few. None of these things requires “examination” of the sort Socrates employs in his Socratic

One may assert that the happiness we can attain without “examination” is drastically less than the happiness we could reach with it. Further, one may assert that it only becomes clear how subpar our previous level of happiness was only after the higher is reached through “examination.” The happiness that someone may reach through Socrates’ “examination” could be almost like the Buddhist Nirvana. A Nirvana level of happiness would be a much higher state than the average human level. We are familiar with this idea that there are both fake and genuine types of happiness, so it should not strike us as implausible. In the 1950’s, for example, many housewives were the emblematic Stepford wives who cooked and cleaned, and who had to appear to enjoy it, even if they did not, for it was part of their role. The feminism of the subsequent decades would allow women to take up different roles, allowing some women to attain happiness who would not