Socrates' Unexamined Life Essay examples

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Why does Socrates think that the unexamined life is not worth living?
Does he have a good defense of his philosophical life?

As the wisest man in all of ancient Greece, Socrates believed that the purpose of life was both personal and spiritual growth. He establishes this conviction in what is arguably his most renowned statement: "The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates makes it quite evident through the severity of the language in this claim, the extent to which he will live and die for this ideal. He did not merely say that the unexamined life was not a noble existence or that it was the path of the less righteous, rather the unexamined life is just not worth living at all. Theoretically, according to his …show more content…
For the sake of argument, we assume that Socrates' philosophy was embraced by the members of his state. Each and every citizen under the democratic ruling of his time decided to examine their life. The aforementioned states of inquiry, assessment, scrutiny and pursuit of justice and virtue would surely lead everyone, at one point or another, to the inevitable utopia of doubt and contradiction. A state full of citizens under such conditions would surely find itself in a state of upheaval. This implicit anarchism that would result had Socrates' belief been embraced by society is yet another dangerously weak point in his philosophy. In light of Socrates owning a reputation of a man not too fond of the government of his state, this foreseeable chaotic condition could easily be viewed as part of a hidden agenda that he holds in opposition to the government. Socrates was not a democrat by any means as a result of his differing thoughts on the ideal government. Socrates felt that a good government is one that is run by the few and most wise, which happens to be the philosophers. Furthermore, the examined life that Socrates holds in such esteem is a-political in and of itself. He claims that a man seeking out justice and virtue needs to lead a private life, not a public one, therefore, not
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