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Unexamined life is unworthy living
Socratic wisdom and the Socratic method
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Unexamined life is unworthy living
Socratic wisdom and the Socratic method
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
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”.
In Plato's Gorgias, it is apparent that Socrates has no desire to be a good statesman as it is defined in the eyes of the Athenians. His calculation is that Athenian rhetoricians place no reliance on facts or truth, nor are these their aim. Instead, they rely on the illusion of knowledge, and this morally weakens both themselves and their audiences. It is clear however, that if he wishes, Socrates is able to match most or all of the other statesmen in Athens, as is clearly indicated by his very eloquent speech which ends the dialogue. Additionally, under his own definition of a good statesman, it is evident that Socrates is more than qualified.
Examining one’s life can bring many joys. There are many things that give people the idea that their lives are meaningful. These ideas could be the pursuit of pleasure and happiness, entertainment, sports, power and money, possessions and security, being famous and success, meeting other people, knowledge and every other thing that can give the smallest amount of happiness to the person. In the apology Plato describes Socrates’ venture to question people would were wise and content with their wisdom, but when they asked a series of questions to test their wisdom they were revealed not to be wise and were now upset. The flaw in that was that these people did not examine what had happened to them and did not learn from it.
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.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Three Messages that can be inferred from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.) Almost no worthy literary text of importance has no themes or messages in it.
Tyler Thomas PHIL 1013 November 10, 2014 Socrates Vs Crito: Whether or Not He Should Escape In the Crito written by Plato, the jury had already sentenced Socrates to death on the charges of corrupting the youth of Athens and for not believing in the Gods of the state. As a choice of punishment, Socrates would have to willingly drink poison, leading to a painful death. It is worth noticing that before Socrates was convicted, he was given a few other option earlier to leave Athens and never return or to even stay in Athens but not speak his crazy beliefs. Socrates for his reasons chose to refuse those options, believing he was innocent and had not done anything wrong. Hearing about Socrates conviction and impending death, Crito who is Socrates’
Socrates lived a life of truth; following the laws yet getting people to think for themselves. Because of the downfall of Athens and the way he lived, Socrates faced major charges such as corrupting the youth, spewing nonsense and going against the gods; or was it being a complete atheist? Even his accuser wasn’t sure which one it was. Proving his case well, Socrates manages to get his accusers and the jury to agree with him, but the jury still decides he is guilty. Socrates was charged unjustly because his accusers were manipulated, his charges are no longer valid and his accuser could not even make up their mind as what to charge him with.
Socrates believes that justice benefits the just, but also benefits the city (other people) too. He is faced with a seemingly simple choice, escape Athens or remain in prison and be sentenced to death. Socrates’ central argument against escaping his circumstances is twofold. First, Socrates argues that “one must never do wrong.” (49b)
Philosophers Examining of the Unexamined Life Socrates was a famous Athenian philosopher put to death because the city believed that his "teaching" were corrupted the youth. One of his famous quote “The unexamined life is not worth living” is said to mean that without looking at oneself and understanding the areas that are lacking there is no way to better oneself, thus there is no point in living. A person needs to seek out the areas that need improvement and work on it to increase the meaningfulness of their life. Many people have followed in the footsteps of Socrates and thought about a persons life and its meaningfulness including Franz Kafka, Sigmund Freud, Voltaire, and Plato. Franz Kafka was a Czech philosopher famous for his book Metamorphosis.
I agree with what Socrates is trying to say in his defense against the council. Socrates believes that we truly have to understand ourselves in order to find the true meaning in life. I believe that this claim stands true because if you aren’t sure about what things in life make you happy and what things you want to get in life then your ambitions might not be in the right place. Throughout his whole defense Socrates doesn’t once admit that he believes he’s at fault. Socrates instead tries to clear up some of the rumors and false thoughts that were spread about him.
Socrates started his life as an average Athen citizen. His parents worked, making an honest living. But as Socrates grew up, he began to realize that his mind questioned things and wondered how come no one else questioned the same things or at least think about the answers to the questions that were not answered. So, as his mind kept wandering, he began to acknowledge the questions that were not answered and sought for those answers. He ended up believing and teaching things to other people, whether it went against the way the Athen government or not, he still continued his work.
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.
The trial and death of Socrates is a book with four dialogues all about the trail that leads to the eventual death of Socrates. The four dialogues are Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo. It will explain the reasoning that brought Socrates to trial in the first place and give us a glimpse into the physiological thought of this time, and in this paper will describe some of the differences today. The first of the four dialogues are Euthyphro.
In Apology, Socrates faces possible execution as he stands trial in front of his fellow Athenian men. This jury of men must decide whether Socrates has acted impiously against the gods and if he has corrupted the youth of Athens. Socrates claims in his defense that he wants to live a private life, away from public affairs and teachings in Athens. He instead wants to focus on self-examination and learning truths from those in Athens through inquiry. Socrates argues that "a [man] who really fights for justice must lead a private, not a public, life if [he] is to survive for even a short time" (32a).
Socrates was a great philosopher of the Greek world. He was quite an atypical and distinctive person. Being different from all the other philosophers of the land, Socrates was teaching his students ideas totally out of the ordinary from what the society believed was right. As a result, he displeased many people so much that they decided to get rid of him. Socrates was put to trial, accused of spoiling the youth of Athens, tried and sentenced to death.