Socrates: Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Main Body
Works Cited

Introduction

During his trial at Athens, Socrates said, Unexamined life is not worthy living (Baggini). Socrates was tried in court for having encouraged his students to challenge the accepted beliefs or traditions in society (Stern 16). The court gave Socrates several options to choose from, to go in exile, remain silent, or face execution (Stern 18). Socrates chooses to be hanged instead of running away or being silent. He argues that there is no point in living without awareness of what is around you by questioning (Stern 30). Socrates made a decision to be hanged since he believed that living a life where one could not evaluate the world and look for ways of making it better was not worth living. Because of his decision, Socrates was sentenced to death (Stern 30).

Main Body

By saying that unexamined life is not worthy living, Socrates was referring to freedom, a state of making choices about your surrounding, a state of choosing your destination, having the freedom to criticize issues, setting your goals in life, and deciding whether what you are doing is right or wrong (Baggini). In general, Socrates was referring to individuals having the opportunity to understand or know themselves. An examined life is taking control of your life.

To Socrates, life imprisonment would make his life not worth living. This would take his freedom away; he would not have an opportunity to decide what was right or wrong for him (Stern 15). He would no longer examine his environment, nobody would assess his ideas, and neither would he determine his destination. Examining once life is an opportunity to acquire freedom. Having a chance to examine your own life presents you with opportunities to control your life and choose your destiny.

In very simple terms, the unexamined life is a situation in which an individual is not open to question what is around them and what they do (Stern 13). Living unexamined life is living a life, which is not unique, a life that does not reveal new perspectives or ideas; it is a life that has not been appreciated by others in any way (Baggini).

ConclusionIn addition, it is important for individuals to know what is right and wrong in their life. For instance, individuals need to identify their success and failures as well as the reason for the kind of life that they live (Baggini). Socrates chooses death over a confined life because he believed in self-evaluation and knowledge. His choice of death rather than running away or silence is a message that we should appreciate what we believe in rather than living the way other people do or want us to live (Stern 20).

Works Cited

Stern, Paul. Socratic rationalism and political philosophy: An interpretation of Platos. New York: Sunny Press, 1993. Print.

Baggini, Julian. The unexamined life is not worth living. 2005. Web.

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Socrates: Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living

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