Socrates Unexamined Life

Unexamined Life

Socrates expressed that “The unexamined life is not worth living”, for him life was about pursuing wisdom and self-knowledge. Socrates conducted his discussions in the marketplace and drew large crowds. Unfortunately, Socrates was found guilty of corrupting the youth of Athens and was put on trial (Schick and Vaughn 17). He was given a choice of either leaving Athens or living the rest of his life in silence. Socrates did not want to leave his home Athens and he believed that being able to discuss issues of life is a necessary part of living a valuable life. So, for Socrates, living a silence life was like living an an unexamined life. Instead of accepting either of the punishments, Socrates decided to end his life.

It is easy to scrutinize someone else’s choices and actions but people need courage to examine their own life. It needs courage to think critically and when necessary criticize one’s own actions. Many people hold strong beliefs on varieties of issues but if these beliefs are not based on sound reasoning, they give rise to inconsistencies and contradictions and may lead to internal and external conflicts. For example, climate change is an important issue in today’s world. Scientists have proved that climate change is real but still many people do not accept that, some even describe climate change as a hoax (Gregoire). They want to cling to false beliefs and ignore any opposing evidence (Gregoire). Their belief is not based on sound reasoning and is a reason for creating conflicts. People may also feel that not everyone has the luxury of examining their lives. Many people in the world have no choice but to be satisfied by what they are given and that may not necessarily be what they want. However, there are lots of ways to lead an examined life. The term “examined life” should not be limited only to “self-examination” and “self-understanding”, examining life means examine all parts of life. Going to school, learning new things is examining life. Study of science is examining life, it is about examining the world around us and we are part of that world. Sitting with friends and discussing about different issues is examining life. We should not think examining life involves high level of philosophy, it can be done in many different ways. Just by thinking through things and making observations anyone can understand things better and make sound