ipl-logo

Socrates Life Is Not Worth Living Essay

631 Words3 Pages

I have been captivated by Socrates final claim “the unexamined life is not worth living for men” (cita) mentioned before they wanted to execute him. The true meaning behind this defense is that Socrates believed that an unexamined life is literally more miserable and worse than pure death. This thought can be infer from his beliefs of death and morality mentioned on the book. Nevertheless, his final outcome or conclusion is based upon a presumption that one's soul can live forever and never die. However this is compatible for someone that has not the same beliefs as socrates. What about if someone does not believe in the immortal soul and the existence of an afterlife.

Socrates belief towards death and morality reflect on what his superiorities are and mean, hence drag him to make the final claim that “life is not worth living” (cita). Socrates demonstrates how he cares more for his ethics rather than his life as he says that “death is something [he] couldn’t care less about” (cita) as his major burden was “not to do anything unjust” (cita). …show more content…

Finally, the goal of life is to cultivate and develop one's immortal soul, therefore is one does not enrich his soul then he claims that life is not worth living. This explains why Socrates had no fear towards death, as he worked on flourishing his soul in many different ways. But adoring and cultivating your soul was not as easy as it sounds, in order to truly own a adorn soul you must not pursue only pursue ethical beliefs as most of them may not be completely

Show More
Related
721 Words | 3 Pages

Socrates believes that even though escaping prison would save him from an unjust death, he rather die without any faults than fighting for justice by doing something unjust. Inevitably, Socrates would prefer dying without any slander of his name because it would make him more honorable. As a rebuttal to Socrates beliefs of dying with dignity, dignity serves no just after

Read More
835 Words | 4 Pages

Anish Yonjan Philosophy 1301-73426 Prof. Marcos Arandia Feb. 19, 2017 Explain and evaluate Socrates' claim in the Apology that "the unexamined life is not worth living for a human being," and briefly analyze and discuss the particular method he uses to discover the truth (i.e., dialectics or the Socratic Method), using at least two examples from Plato's Euthyphro and/or Apology. Do you agree that a human being cannot live a fully satisfying life if he or she remains ignorant, like the slavish prisoners in Plato's cave? Why or why not? In the Plato’s Apology, Socrates claims that the “unexamined life is not worth living for a human being”.

Read More
643 Words | 3 Pages

His statement brings up controversy, making the argument fail to back up its point. Socrates argues that a just soul and a just man will live well, and an unjust one badly. This argument consists of the following: 1. The function of each thing is what it alone can do or what it does better than anything else.

Read More
376 Words | 2 Pages

No matter which path death is, death is a gain. One will either be a peaceful sleep, or a journey to another world filled with intelligent people and knowledge. He had support to his theory, but only talked about conversing with people from the past. The apology is repetitive in the last two paragraphs because Socrates desired to talk to all these different people. He did not clarify as to why living on Earth was cruel and that death was the only answer.

Read More
1678 Words | 7 Pages

With those two teachings, comes another one of his more deeply meaningful quotes “an unexamined life is not worth living for a human being”. This statement by Socrates is one that gets a human being to think about what he meant by what an examined life or unexamined life is. His quote is telling people to go through life and analyze and question things, because if not they have not lived life the way it should be for a human being. Without examining life, life would become a stagnant environment, never evolving from past cultures and past ideals.

Read More
1280 Words | 6 Pages

Socrates & Snowden Socrates was a true believer that true pleasure only comes when individuals live a moral life. He believed that an individual’s inner life, or the soul, is the most important part of life. Each person must keep his or her soul healthy, by seeking truth, self-knowledge, justice, and goodness. Socrates believed that any soul in search of fame, wealth, and power becomes ignorant, sickly, and weak (Claudia, 270). He was concerned with strengthening his inner self by examining and criticizing it.

Read More
411 Words | 2 Pages

However, the number three cannot ever be even for it holds a natural form of oddity that cannot be changed, the same is found with immortality. A soul cannot admit to death, which is the opposite of its essence immortality just as the number three cannot admit to being even. Leading to Plato’s conclusion of how a soul then must have to retreat, connecting back to Socrates believing death is best characterized by the soul separating from

Read More
710 Words | 3 Pages

1. A living well argument – to do an unjust action ruin one’s soul, life is not worth living with a ruined soul. Conclusion, the most important thing is not life but living a moral and just life. 2. Consequences for Athens argument – if I escape from jail, then the laws of Athens will be destroyed, to destroy the laws of Athens harms the citizens and harming other is harming ones own soul, and last but not least, it is better to die than to live with a ruined soul.

Read More
1434 Words | 6 Pages

The first reason Socrates gives for accepting his death sentence is the fact that Athens has provided him with education. (Crito page 15) Although Socrates thinks this is a just reason, Plato would disagree because Socrates could have become corrupted and bad without proper education. According to Plato, Socrates would have the traits of a philosopher king. Socrates loves the truth, hates the false, is moderate and courageous. (The Republic 485a-486b)

Read More
564 Words | 3 Pages

He also believes that it is not difficult to refrain from death, but it is difficult to stay away from evil since it surrounds us all. Doing something evil and sinful will torment one’s soul forever, even after death. Socrates believes

Read More
1115 Words | 5 Pages

“…if I disobeyed the oracle because I was afraid of death: then I should be fancying that I was wise when I was not wise. For this fear of death is indeed the pretence of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being the appearance of the unknown: since no one knows whether death, which they in their fear apprehend to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good” (Apology, 29a-29b). This potent statement not only highlights Socrates’ wisdom, it effectively makes use of his belief that he is wise because he knows nothing. By saying that he knows nothing of the afterlife, it gives him the reason to illustrate to his audience that he cannot fear what he does not know.

Read More
1595 Words | 7 Pages

Socrates is quoted as stating, “An unexamined life is a life not worth living” (38 a). Socrates was a founding figure of western philosophy, and a stable for many ideas. He lived in Athens, Greece teaching his students, like Plato, questioning politics, ethical choices, and many other things in Greek society. In the Trial and death of Socrates: Four Dialogues by Plato, it explores the abstract questioning Socrates had towards many of the normal social properties, which led to his trial, resulting in his death. The most important aspects discussed in the dialogues is the questioning of what is pious and impious, what it means to be wise, and good life.

Read More
361 Words | 2 Pages

In 1637 about 100 Massachusetts Bay colonists were ordered to surrender their “guns, pistols, swords, powder, shot & match”, said Barbara Mantel. In 1813, Kentucky and Louisiana became the first states to ban the carrying of concealed weapons. In 1986, the NRA scored a victory when President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Firearm Owners ' Protection Act. Currently about six states must have insurance on their gun. “Insurance will cover you if your home burns down in an electrical fire, but it will not cover you if you burn down your own house, and you cannot insure yourself for arson,” said Robert P. Hartwig, Garen Wintemute had some very good points to back up his belief.

Read More
524 Words | 3 Pages

Socrates’ original argument was not valid or sound. The premises were corrected but the argument needed another premise to make the conclusion true. Adding premise two takes away any confusion there was to what immortality meant. Since Socrates’ spent almost the entire book creating a just person and a just city the information about what is good and bad for a soul makes sense. It also makes sense that those things cannot destroy the soul because injustice and other vices could only lead the body to make poor choices and possibly get sick or die from those poor choices.

Read More
1005 Words | 5 Pages

Plato’s view on death According to Plato, Socrates didn’t fear death. He stopped fearing death when God ordered him to live the life of a philosopher. “No one knows whether death may not be the greatest of all blessings for a man, yet men fear it as if they knew that it is the greatest of all evils.” He says that this is just as bad as thinking that you’re wise, when you’re actually not.

Read More

More about Socrates Life Is Not Worth Living Essay

Related Topics

Open Document