A Life Worth Living After being sentenced to death for his controversial views and teachings of politics and religion to the youth of Ancient Athens‚ the historical philosopher Socrates was given an ultimatum to spend the remainder of his in exile. To this‚ Socrates stated “the unexamined life is not worth living”. [i] Like the subjective nature of philosophy itself‚ this quote from one of the most famous philosophers of all time can come in an array of interpretations. What Socrates himself
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Socrates was the son of common Athenians. His father was a stone-mason/ sculptor‚ his mother a midwife. Socrates was also a stone-mason by trade and was to follow in his father’s footsteps. It was still yet unknown to Socrates in his early years that his ‘career’ would be that of a philosopher. It is said he was pulled out of his workshop by Crito because of the “beauty of his soul”. Jobless and serving no direct purpose to the Athenian (Greek) society‚ Socrates was well known in the Athenian
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is to consider what philosophers call the Socratic commitment. Socrates‚ a Greek philosopher‚ 470-399 B.C.‚ was placed on trial in Athens because he questioned the political‚ moral‚ and religious practices of Athens. He gave his own defense which his pupil Plato recorded as The Apology (The Defense). When he was convicted for impiety to the gods and for corrupting the youth because he had taught the young adults to question‚ he was given the opportunity to propose his own penalty. He refused to give
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“An unexamined life is not worth living” Essay “An unexamined life is not worth living‚” said Socrates who questioned everything in his life. He always asked‚ “Why am I here and what is my purpose.” I would ask myself the same exact thing when I was younger because I always wondered what am I doing on earth and why me‚ what makes me do the things I do. The saying‚ “An unexamined life is not worth living” is very true in its words because living life on autopilot or having no purpose in life is having
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Is the unexamined life not worth living? Socrates was a great man‚ and is said to be one of the greatest philosophers in history‚ some may find this notion questionable‚ based on some of his own teachings. One famous quote is: “The unexamined life is not worth living” Is the unexamined life not worth living? On the contrary‚ it is! It seems respectful and good to paint a portrait of Socrates‚ in the manner I will. There is no question that Socrates was and still
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great philosopher Socrates‚ but many of us possess the same way of thinking as this remarkable man. The claim‚ "the unexamined life is not worth living‚" brings about many questions and possibilities about what life is and how it is valued. Not only is philosophy itself extremely subjective in nature‚ so are we the students of this subject. We all bring about our own beliefs and opinions to the table‚ each contributing to the meaning behind "the unexamined life is not worth living." This broad statement
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The trial and execution of Socrates was the climax of his career and the central event of the dialogues of Plato. Socrates tells Crito that he is one of those people who must be guided by reason. Socrates says that the only person whose opinion is of value is the one who understands justice. Socrates then invites Crito to consider the definition of justice‚ and whether it is ever right to do wrong intentionally. the many’s ignorance does not allow them to have true choice‚ and therefore
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Is the Unexamined Life Not Worth Living? As one of the most influential philosophers‚ Socrates was known as a man who believed in “striving to make oneself as good a person as possible”1. Many of his teachings revolved around his idea that “an unexamined life is no life for a human being to live”2. As a student of philosophy‚ I believe in this way of life due to the following considerations. The central point of Socrates’ proposal is that in order to be human‚ one must actively examine life. People
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In Philosophy this far‚ we’ve covered many topics. In highlighting Philosophy‚ Wisdom‚ and the quote‚ “ The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living”‚ I will express the knowledge and insight I’ve taken away from Unit 1. This embodies one of the many examples of the concepts I will explain: “Too often‚ we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of the thought” (JFK). Philosophy is the rational analysis of the truths and principles of being‚ knowledge‚ or conduct; the pursuit of happiness
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According to Plato‚ Socrates had differentiated two ways of life‚ unexamined life and examined life. Socrates was irritated by the Sophists in his Era‚ and their leaning to teach logic as a means of achieving self-centered ends. An unexamined life to not examine or question one’s life is to risk misunderstanding one’s self in relation to the world‚ to remain oblivious to one’s thoughts‚ emotions‚ behaviors‚ and thus‚ to be a passive receiver of experience‚ instead of an active interpreter of experience
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