Socrates Unexamined Life Analysis

834 Words2 Pages

The Unexamined Life
By definition, to examine means “to look as something closely and carefully in order to learn more about it” (Merriam Webster, n.d.). This would imply that something unexamined is not thoroughly studied or analyzed, resulting in a lack of knowledge on a particular topic. Socrates’s statement in The Apology that the unexamined life is not worth living is testament to his belief that a lack of examination of knowledge is equivalent to a lack of life. Plato uses the example of Socrates’ trial, perpetuated by his thirst for knowledge, to exemplify this topic. Through Socrates’ consistent questioning of Meletus in his own defense, his willingness to die for his pursuit of knowledge, and the parallel of Socrates’ life to that …show more content…

Socrates states that men should never concern themselves with living or dying, but whether what they are doing in life is right or wrong. Socrates spent his life coercing answers out of society in pursuit of truth, with the belief that discovering truth was the correct way to live. Socrates did not burden himself with the idea of death, because he believed he was doing the right thing. Furthermore, in The Apology, Socrates expresses that men should remain where they are placed by their commander, and should think about the duty at hand rather than death, even when clenched firmly in danger’s grasp. Socrates’ was consistently victimized for his tendency to ask pestering questions, and he was eventually executed for it. However, Socrates continued to question others until the very end because he saw it as his duty. When Socrates’ stated that the unexamined life was not worth living, he truly meant he would rather live a life in constant pursuit of knowledge while facing persecution and the awareness of his imminent death than to be an ignorant fool and live a lengthy, peaceful …show more content…

Jesus, like Socrates, spent his life questioning authority figures, but rather with inquires of faith than of Socrates’ search for logic. In addition, Jesus and Socrates were both sentenced to death for interrogating those in their respective societies and therefore, corrupting the youth. According to 1 Peter 2:22, “[Jesus] committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (NIV, n.d.). If Jesus constantly questioned people and never committed a sin, this would make his way of thinking and his actions correct. This would confirm that an examined life is, in fact, something worth dying for. Since Socrates’ way of behavior was aligned similarly with Jesus, this would make his philosophy of mental stimulation and interrogation without fault. Socrates’ refusal to live an unexamined life and his desire to inspect the lives of others is a Biblical concept, also mirrored in the teachings of

Open Document