People think that they are pious, virtuous, knowledgeable, intellectual, just, and more but in actuality and reality are they really and how can they find out? This is why through the generations of mankind have been blessed with the minds of the “Great philosophers.” We know about the “Great philosophers” through documents or books they wrote or others close to them witnessed and documented. One of the “Great philosophers” by the name of Socrates helped out people he meet with asking them questions and trying to define words, adjectives, or emotions they thought their lives reflected. Socrates famous statement, “The unexamined life is not worth living”(Apology, 38a), caused controversy between philosophers on the true meaning of his statement. …show more content…
It is important to live an examined life so you reach a true good life full of virtue, happiness, piety, and to you what you wanted your life to be and if people remember you the way you wanted to be remember. Everyone has a different aspect and perception of the life they want to live and the if the decisions they made in their life they are happy with and were the right decisions. Through an examined life you will reach Socrates’ goal of having attained knowledge for the purpose of living a good life. Most people though will not be able to reach an examined life without the outside help and knowledge of others. People will need the knowledge, questions, and criticism of others to learn and have a recollection of where they went wrong and then gain more knowledge. Through the Apology Socrates responds and defends philosophical life by saying, “If you think that a man who is any good at all should take into the account the risk of life or death; he should look to this only in his actions, whether what he does is right or wrong, whether he is acting like a good or a bad man.”(Apology, 28b-c) This quote perfectly describes in what everyone should ask themselves and if they think they were right in their decisions and feel like a good person you have reached an examined life. An examined life is important because it is the life everyone wants to achieve in their own way and is the best way their life can turn
Socrates lived such a private life that it lead to the most important revelation of his entire life. He would go about his life doing nothing but self-examination. In examining his life so strenuously others would come to him to be taught, or to have their children be taught by Socrates. They would offer him money and he would refuse. They would do whatever they could to learn anything Socrates had to teach. What they did not know is that Socrates was not teaching anyone he was simply going about his usual life and people just happened to learn from it. This was also why Socrates was put on trial. He was brought up on two charges, one of impiety and the other of corrupting the youth. These two charges set the course for the last month of his life.
I totally agree that Socrates found it important to research about life’s morality and not just think the same way others do. That is a way of proving the knowledge of men. Ones sitting quiet in the corner usually have more knowledge than others that talk so much about what they know. Many men with a high position in life do not always have the most knowledge.
In Apology, Socrates disobeys the jury because he has never done the thing they charge against him. Socrates states that he lives an “examined life”, which means the life that “converses about virtue” (p. 14). He spends everything on philosophy and this is the examined life to him. As a dedicator of virtue, he claims himself to be ignorant instead of being arrogant (p. 4). He justifies himself in Apology for his rights and proves his innocence to Meletus’ charges of him for being “a doer of evil, who corrupt the youth” (p. 5).
Most of us find it easier to live in ignorance than to acknowledge our weaknesses. For instance, the prophecy by the oracle at Delphi who claimed "Socrates is the most wise", Socrates could not accept this truth and went as far to test the gods (The Apology). He tested of the Delphic Oracle by finding someone that was wiser than him, but he could not. "Socrates is most wise" because he was aware of his ignorance and questioned “noble” people and gods (The Apology). Those around Socrates, who claimed to have knowledge, were ignorant of their obliviousness. Therefore, justifying why Socrates claimed, “the unexamined life is not worth living”, because in an unexamined life one is living in complete ignorance (The Apology). (The
Progressing through the reading “A Plato Reader: Eight Essential Dialogues”, in Apology Socrates states “the unexamined life is not worth living for a human being.” This quote further leads to the constant examination of others, critiquing of methods, and investigation of others belief systems. The novel is used to analyze the theories in which people think and train themselves to believe in things. The series questions the idea of ethics, morals, virtues, and logic as well as creates a story line parallel to each individual subtopic. Specifically throughout the dialogue “Euthyphro”, the ideal conception revolved around the idea of ethics and what is considered pious versus impious.
People on the opposing side may argue that one should not examine their life because it is better to be happy rather than be aware and unhappy. The Athenians are a prime example of ignorance is bliss, which is basically what the opposing side is supporting. As stated earlier, the Athenians chose to kill Socrates rather than accept the fact that they are naive. They clearly would rather want to be ignorant and happy, walking around like they are very intelligent, as opposed to being aware that they aren’t as smart as they believed to be and unhappy with that fact. However, such critics fail to realize that one should examine their life so that they may have an advanced level of perception. Socrates is a prime example of acquiring an advanced
"The unexamined life is not worth living." This quote stated by the famous philosopher Socrates goes on to explain the importance of the study of philosophy and understanding the world in which humans inhabit. The study of philosophy seeks to contemplate and understand the many questions regarding existence and reality. Philosophy has the power to question everything that requires a deeper explanation or understanding. It is a study that helps us to discover the nature of truth and knowledge. Students attending a Catholic secondary school should be required to take a philosophy course for a number of reasons. The studying of the most important questions in existence results in gaining more understanding and wisdom. In accordance with reasoning,
This quote also shows that Socrates is also trying to convince the people around him that there are more worthwhile things than money and expensive things, such as knowledge and wisdom. Overall, Socrates values his teachings (which are wisdom and gaining knowledge is more important than money and materialistic things) so much that he is willing to “die many times” (The Apology) to try to convince people that his teachings are precious life lessons that will benefit the
Socrates attempts to make other people reason well and therefore be virtuous by performing their human function; I believe that this action inwardly reflects Socrates’s own virtue. For example, if a professor can effectively teach mathematics to his students, then he most likely holds knowledge of the subject within himself. In a similar way, Socrates instills virtue in other people, which shows that he himself is a virtuous being. Although some people criticize him, evidence of his positive impact is reinforced by the approval and support of his friends in the Apology. While promoting virtue when alive, Socrates wishes to continue to encourage virtue even after death. For example, at the onset of his death, Socrates asks the jurors to ensure that his sons are given grief if they care for anything else more than virtue (Plato and Grube 44). While Socrates could have been thinking about himself or other things at that moment, he is thinking of how to guide people towards living virtuously. Both his actions while living and his intentions after death reveal that Socrates wished to aid people in living virtuous lives, which highlight his own state of
Plato’s Apology,(by Plato) and the words of Socrates, are considered the most important works of literature by many distinguished universities. It seems that Socrates continues to teach students from beyond the grave. Plato uses the Apology to show readers the importance of Socrates teachings, and how students should examine themselves and the world around them. Those who do not ask questions are unable to educate themselves about the world, and it leaves them at a loss. Pride can prevent the admittance of not knowing certain things in life, which stalls learning. One must know what they do not in order to become knowledgeable. Socrates also teaches that There are three sections of text in Plato’s Apology that make readers think critically about life, but more specifically, learning in life.
According to Socrates the soul is what differentiates humans from all other living things. This entails the ability to think about who we truly are, to reflect on our life 's experiences, and to attain wisdom, virtue, and happiness in order to live a good life. Hence, one of the most famous philosophical and bold claims made by Socrates, according to Plato, during his trial for heresy summed up his belief that, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” It can be perceived from this that if we go about our lives without reflecting on the decisions we 've made or how things came to be the way the are, we are no better off than we were before and this kind of “blind” life is unworthy of the time on earth it so lived. As explained by John Chaffee,
“…Those who are about their souls and do not devote themselves to the body disassociate themselves firmly from these others and refuse to accompany them on their haphazard journey…” (Phaedo, 82d). Socrates is talking about how others waste their time focusing on the body when the soul should be the focus. He refuses to go and do what everyone else is doing because God has commanded him on his journey of philosophy. These people do not devote themselves to the correct way of life. You need to gather knowledge and wisdom through questioning with the Socratic Method. Wisdom and knowledge is knowing you are ignorant and doing something about it by getting more in touch with the non-physical world. Asking others questions and seeking a wise person to ask questions is how you should attain wisdom. He says you should also gather knowledge from yourself and look inside yourself for answers and cultivate the soul through virtue. Philosophy is also essential to human life. Living your life through philosophy and using it as a guide to ask questions is the way to live
The term “philosophy” means the love of wisdom, and those that study philosophy attempt to gain knowledge through rationality and reason. 1 Socrates, the father of ancient philosophy, once stated “the unexamined life is not worth living”. This is the most important part of life and it is need to find purpose and value in life. If a person chooses to live their life without examination, their life would lack value and they would be unhappy. They would also be ignorant to the effects of their choices on themselves and the people around them.
Socrates was a wise man who realized that life was not something that could be easily understood. He knew that questioning life would lead to a stronger conception of life and reality. When he stated that “the unexamined life is not worth living” (Plato 45), he truly meant that without questioning life, one would not be truly living. Actions would have no understanding of being right or wrong. For Socrates, a man who believed that life should be based on what was right, there would be no greater wrongdoing.
Beginning with Socrates, he has a very existential outlook on the meaning of life. In the Apology he states “I say again that the greatest good of man is daily to converse about virtue, and all that concerning which you hear me examining myself and others, and that the life which is unexamined is not worth living” and challenges the jury to not only look at the world around them and think about the things they can see