The examined life is a way of searching for meaning in one’s life. Examining your life is figuring out one’s purpose in life, figuring out what someone may want out of life; examining ones life can basically be anything that someone wants to think of it. Someone can examine the smallest things in life such as why roads or sidewalks eventually end, why people care about what others think of them. Everyone examines or views their life in many different ways, different than how others see their lives
In Robert Nozick’s The Examined Life, he talks about his interpretations of the words in his chapter titled Value and Meaning and how we use their definitions in the dimension we know to be as reality. Value, defined by Nozick, is a word that gives an object meaning to a person or something that has one’s own intrinsic specialty. Meaning on the other hand, is defined to be having a connection beyond the boundaries of value. Both words can relate to each other and yet still have much more meaning
will take a step by step look at how to construct a reflective argument in response to Michael Hardt’s “Are we capable of Democracy” argument in Examined Life.
There may be no greater fact known than that of human beings seeking a purpose in this life. Are we here simply because of our parents meeting or are we here because God ordained it for some divine reason unfathomable by yourself, but seen by those in your community? What would the world be if Gandhi had not examined himself in his writings? Ultimately we will never know the consequences of unexamined lives because it is simply human nature to seek a purpose, no matter the situation you are born
Every person aspires to have a good and comfortable life. A good education, a good job, a house, a car and a great family are what most people use to define happiness. Having a degree of respect or praise in a person’s social circles, great achievements and successes are very important to some people. Some would go to unimaginable levels to acquire wealth such as corruption, murder, drugs, prostitution and weapons; all for the sake of getting rich. To most people, having wealth is equated to being
Sophocles' Theban Trilogy. "The unexamined life is not worth living," proclaims Socrates. He could have meant many things by this statement, and in relation to the play, the meaning is found to be even more complex. Indeed, the situation of Oedipus, king of Thebes, the truth of this statement is in question. Would Oedipus have been better off if he was blind to the knowledge of his birth and the fate which was foretold to someday befall him? Truly though, his life would have been a far better and easier
the examined life, intellectually, physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually, over the span of this semester and applied it to our own life, I have noticed a theme that links each of these dimensions together. Life is a journey of self discovery where individuals are constantly trying to come to terms with who they are as a person. Through this journey, individuals can find their calling or vocation in life, discover their potential, know one’s self, and even just make sense of life. Furthermore
states that the only life worth living is the examined life. The examined life is caring for the soul by questioning and examining beliefs to obtain the most understanding. He argues that if he did not live an examined life he would be disobeying his God which is the wrong thing to do. Socrates also points out that he examines people who think they know something when they really don’t, thus showing wisdom is worth nothing. In conclusion Socrates makes it evident that the examined life is being able to
many ideas or statements. For example, the Examined Life asks, does life have meaning? This idea was analyzed, experienced, questioned, discussed and concluded in many different ways. There was a common thread between the Philosophy film, the Apology, our class discussions and the video, Examined life. We often ask ourselves, are we obligated to other people? In the book, Philosophy Film, by Mary M. Litch, it examines the question briefly, “Does life have meaning?” To explore this idea, a question
existence of an area in need of improvement and accepting the action necessary for successful development. In developing an identity and living an examined life, it is important to engage in internal reflection and evaluation for the benefit of truly knowing oneself. With this inner insight and personal identity, an individual can lead a successful and meaningful life. True personal progress can only be fully achieved through the procedural acquisition of awareness and acceptance and the performance of the
In week one, I immediately found myself interested and alert as I tried to absorb as much as possible from Examined Life. It was difficult to find a balance between taking as many good notes as possible, with making sure not to miss anything these eight philosophers had to say. I took to heart many of the thoughts and ideas that were shared throughout the film. The first that struck a cord with me was that it is not necessary to find meaning. At first that sounds contrary to philosophy at its core
political theory, film theory, cultural studies, theology, and psychoanalysis. (Wikipedia) Although, Slavoj Zizek was hard to understand and a challenge to follow, his part in “Examined Life” was to make us aware. Surrounded by trash, Zizek talks about trash and ecology as ideology. Trash is an unavoidable consequence of human life and we try to imagine it goes away by some magical process. Out of sight out of mind, is often the case but Zizek wants us to see the trash and know (premise one) that our
How do you birthduring your life even after you are brought into this world? The human condition is defined as the the characteristics which compose the essentials of the human existence. The six aspects of the human condition (birth, growth, emotionality, aspiration, conflict, mortality) are characteristics that people in this world feel that you need to be a moral human being. Most people aren’t aware that they’re living the human condition, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t using these characteristics
that the unexamined life is one that is not worth living. Socrates seems to make a valid statement here in that life can only be a real living experience if you examine your own life. There is a huge significance and a deep underlying meaning of his quote that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” In finding the significance of his quote it must be known the difference between the unexamined life and the examined one as well as the importance behind living an examined life. The unexamined
statement, “The unexamined life is not worth living”(Apology, 38a), caused controversy between philosophers on the true meaning of his statement.
correct when he says the “the unexamined life is not worth living” In order to discuss why Socrates is correct, I would like to discuss these various points which consist of: the significance as well as the underlying meaning of his quote “the unexamined life is not worth living”, the difference between an unexamined life and an examined life, specific examples, the importance of a person living an examined life and lastly, whether or not I’m living an examined life. Socrates was a Greek philosopher
there were a lot of aspects that I felt connected to in which I learned from. Similarly to the protagonist Wallace, I related to him in the sense that I feel dissatisfied with my life. The difference between us is that I am much younger therefore I have not really experienced my path in life or my future employment. My life is not yet set in stone thus there are more possible ways to change my future so I can be satisfied with it. Whereas with Wallace, he is a middle age man who chose to be a fighter
The Examined Life, The Genealogy of Morals, and Meditations on First Philosophy were written by three philosophers of very different times, Cornel West, Friedrich Nietzsche, and René Descartes respectively. The intricate language, once deciphered, holds great meaning. The three texts are quite different from one another, but if one were to look closely and decipher the odd combination of complex wording, one would find that each of the texts has one major similarity. Each text looks at a flaw
Today, we can thank these giants of the ancient era for doing the leg work that humankind is so intent on understanding. According to Plato’s written account titled, “The Apology”, the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates states that “the unexamined life is not worth living for human beings.” Socrates’ claim holds ethical implications for today’s modern society, however we must first understand this claim in order to argue its case. From the recorded dialogues produced by Plato, we know that Socrates
Do Colors Have an Effect on One’s Current Mood? Colors are a part of one’s everyday life and are introduced into one’s life starting at birth. For example, when a baby is born, the baby is showered with gifts and the color of the gifts is determined by his or her gender (e.g., blue for boys and pink for girls). Children often are dressed in colors associated with their gender. Furthermore, as individuals age and as their vocabulary increases, they tend to learn about associations between moods and