...Unexamined Life Many people nowadays have really been questioning and asking themselves, “What’s the purpose of life”? If you really been questioning that then you’re really not living life to your fullest potential. The intelligent Greece philosopher Socrates once said “An unexamined life is not worth living”. Socrates stated this statement because it is saying one should examine their selves first before judging others in society and find the meaning and happiness of life. Socrates general reason for making this claim in my opinion is because is because he was tired of people living the “lazy’ life and not going beyond their ability to achieve the best to their ability. Socrates was put on trial for many things. Most importantly Socrates was put on trial because he was talking about false Gods and corrupting the youth. Socrates was a debatable person and hardly anyone on the town liked him. Socrates was known as someone who would challenge anyone's thinking; he did it through his endless and circular Socratic dialogues, and Socrates publicly questioned the Gods Athenians worshiped. Socrates was found guilty and was then sentenced. He would abide by the law and didn't even try to convince the jury he was innocent. Socrates preformed his own sentence on his own by drinking poison and ended up killing himself. Socrates really did not have a lot of fans on his side because everyone just thought he was better and wiser than them. The only way they were able to get rid of him was...
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...was what Socrates meant when explaining his defense, or what the Athenian court members had based their moral and ethical views from. More importantly, Socrates was a philosopher, and he strived to find answers, even when they were not easy to discover. This led me to Socrates’ idea, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates was a strong advocate of this statement and supported it in front of the Oracle of Delphi and in the Athenian court. I was very interested with Socrates statement, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” When I first discovered this statement the first thought that popped in my head was how serious Socrates was. There was...
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...Socrates was a Greek philosopher who is known to be one of the greatest founders of western philosophy. Socrates practiced philosophy by preaching in his local market place which caused the citizens of Athens and the authority to become angry towards his views and ways of spreading his philosophical thoughts. Socrates used both analytical and constructive ways to discover the general principles in philosophy. The Oracle of Delphi strongly believed that Socrates was the wisest man in all of Athens which caused Socrates to attempt to prove him wrong. Socrates tried to prove the Oracle wrong by making up his own method to finding the general principles of philosophy, which is called “the socratic method”. The socratic method is the process of...
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... Read and take notes from chapter 1 of Prelude to Philosophy: An Introduction for Christians, “What is Philosophy?” As you read, make sure you understand the following points and questions: • List 4 reasons students often presuppose a low view of philosophy. o They think you have to be super intelligent to do philosophy o Most students study it late in their academic development o Most people do not think philosophy is practical o They do not know what it is or how it can benefit them • Know Socrates’ quote: What is the unexamined life? What did he mean when he said it wasn’t worth living? o Socrates was saying that the unexamined life is when people go through the motions of life without making the effort to reflect and think about what life is about. When Socrates says the unexamined life is not worth living, he is saying that we are not living the life we were created to live. To live a less than fulfilled life. • Know the etymology of the word “philosophy.” o Philosophy is a combination of two terms in greek: phileo and sopho. Phileo is a term for “love” Sophos is the word for wisdom. • Know the working definition of “philosophy” and explain each of its elements. o Philosophy is the...
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...Running Head: THE PHILOSOPHY OF SOCRATES 1 The Philosophy of Socrates: A Lover of Wisdom (2052 Words) THE PHILOSOPHY OF SOCRATES 2 The lessons of life that are delivered by Socrates act as a basis for Western philosophy. Plato, the writer of The Apology, significantly respects Socrates and his dialogues act as a framework for our understanding in the passages. Our only record of his life comes from his associates, as Socrates never documented his opinions. A clear expression of Socrates’ philosophy is represented in The Apology. The purpose of this paper is to establish a clear demonstration of Socrates’ philosophy using The Apology as reference, and also explain my personal view on philosophy. In the first section of this paper, the famous statement from Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living”, will be connected when explaining three principle components of his philosophy: Irony, Method and Ethos. The second section of this paper will reveal my personal view on philosophy. Rahut’s claim on philosophy being the study of “open questions” will be supported by examples and descriptions. In the case that a question cannot be accurately answered or proven with our existing knowledge, I demonstrate that it should be classified as an ‘open question’. Throughout section 17-18 of The...
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...Nature of Thought I have always been fascinated by Socrates’ bold quote “The unexamined life is not worth living” (Kirby, 2007, para. 1). He is very powerful with his chosen verbiage in this quote. He does not diminish his statement by saying that the unexamined life is less meaningful than it could be; he clearly states that the unexamined life is not even worth living. Socrates was a big believer in personal and spiritual growth. In fact, he believed that was the sole purpose of human life. Humans must make the time to examine and reflect on life in order to broaden the understanding of it. I will explain the nature of thought by describing what exactly thinking is, identifying a situation in my life where I had an altered perception and the types of perpetual blocks that influence my views. Thinking Thinking is the ability for a person to put in perspective his or her thought processes (Smith, 2003). Processes that allow a person to develop views on situations based on his or her beliefs and past experiences (Smith, 2003). Thinking uses the data that one previously learned to process the results and put it into action. Humans are the only creatures that can do this, we can think before we react. There is a strong need to express thoughts because it is human nature to want to explore and to learn. The mind is like any other muscle in the body and must be stimulated on a regular basis in order to reach and maintain full potential (Kirby, 2007). The eBook, Thinking: An Interdisciplinary...
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...Sophist vs Socrates During class, we were presented with an article called “The Ivy League, Mental Illness, and the Meaning of Life,” written by William Deresiewicz, a former Yale English professor. In this article, Deresiewicz explains how an elite education can lead to a cycle of grandiosity and depression in adolescents. He believes the nation’s most prestigious schools are full of “excellent sheep” because they just follow instructions without thinking why they are doing it. They have not been given the opportunity to find their own path in life. Deresiewicz thinks these schools are flawed and that we are creating a society where some kids are animals in a scientific experiment. People may argue that this article can be similar to Sophist or Socrates teachings. To begin with, Socrates was a Greek philosopher, who cared nothing for appearance and was only interested in the mind. His face was unbelievably ugly and disproportionate but it did not matter to Socrates. He was disliked because he challenged the people and the state where he lived. Socrates was known for questioning assumptions and challenging the way things are. He believed “the unexamined life is not worth living,” so people should always find out the reason why they do certain things in their life. This seems nothing like the students Deresiewicz described in his article. None of the students examine their life like Socrates would want them to, they just follow instructions. Since the students are nothing like...
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...about Plato’s Apology is how you can see Socrates values throughout this account or description of the trial. The Greek “apologia” translates as a defense, or a speech made in defense. I feel like the real defense was not so much a defense to save his life but a defense in which to safeguard or uphold his values about life and to defend his relationship with the Delphic Oracle. His honesty and directness may have got him into this situation but he contuined to use this method throughout his trial. I feel like being a smart as he was, he knew if he was going to fuse to these procedures or practices during this trail it could cost him his freedom or may even death. Even knowing this he was unwaveringly and defended his way of life. I had an inspiration on the fact that the Delphic Oracle told Socrates he was the wisest man in Athens. Because the Oracle knew he would strive to know more about this prediction. I think that by him wanted to know more about what the Oracle said caused him to turn many people against him. I do think that at first Socrates didn’t really take it too seriously. I do consider the fact when or if he did recognize, appreciate, and understand what the Delphic Oracle said he used it in a way that would allow him to always be precise in his values. Or at least be precise when questioning another person. How can someone be troubled about a person when he claims to have no knowledge of anything? And I think this is where Socrates gets himself in trouble. ...
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...your knowledge. To not follow the golden rule a person is being immoral. Moral philosophy begins with your parents, but as a person gets older they should have a set of morals that they learn on their own and apply it everyday of their life. Morality is like your duty of life; it is what you ought to do. Many people get most of their morality based on religious teachings. They use their religion as a guide for their own moral philosophy. My own morality isn’t based on religion a whole lot simply because I am not a very religious person. On the other hand for people that are religious I think religious teachings are a good set of values to base their own moral philosophy on. Half of my morality is probably based on cultural determinants. This is because I am surrounded by people all day every day and I watch how people interact with each other. Also culture has a big impact on everybody because it is a broad group of people acting in the same way, usually. If such a big group of people has the same morals it has a big impact on any individual. I think your own morality allows you to judge the moral actions of others only if you are close to that person or live in the same society or have the same cultural background. A person that lives in a different society with different laws mostly leads to different moral perspectives. They may have different cultural values than someone from a different society and have two very different approaches to the same moral question...
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...who lived at the same the as Socrates. They were major intellectual figures, and the term “sophist” means “wise person.” At that time “sophistry” was roughly equivalent to “rhetoric,” and rhetoric is the art of persuasion using language. However, the term ‘sophistry’ is now generally used to refer to manipulative forms of rhetoric. Protagorus * Was a Sophist Why was socrates unpopular * Two sets of charges put toward Socrates * * Accused of worshiping false Gods (or no Gods at all) * Also accused of corrupting the youth * Socrates adds that there are unspoken charges pressed against him * * He says these charges are the real reason he is in court * He says the may be impossible for him to fight against What do the people (wrongly) believe about Socrates: * He is the same as the Presocratics (and therefore does not believe in God) * Interested in Arche * An atheist * A sophist * Teaches the young (corrupting them) * * Socrates never tried to teach anyone * Therefore he denied he was a sophist Oracle of Apollo at Delphi * If socrates is not a sophist, and does not teach virtue, what has he been doing? * * He calls upon the Oracle to prove that he only has human wisdom (not divine) * The Oracle tells Socrates’ friend that he is “the wisest of men” * * What did the Oracle mean? * Socrates knows he is not wise, never...
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...Wilson says that when people conform they are standing out in the rain with the blank expression of a cow accepting the fact that they are being soaked wet by the rain. Many people who conform go through life not questioning anything that they do, and accepting all of the miseries that come with life. Socrates was right when he said that people need to examine their lives. Asking questions is a vital part of becoming your own person. In order to become a nonconformist thinking on your own and not relying on others is necessary. I agree with Wilson’s statement because many people today are accepting their fate without trying to find a way out. I noticed this most when I was on a missions trip in California. There were so many homeless people that had gathered on skid row and had accepted that fact that they were going to live and die on the streets of Los Angeles. The people who had taken a step back and examined what they were doing with their lives were the ones who had jobs, homes, food for the next day, and hopeful futures. Sometimes people are afraid to get out of their comfort zone of conformity and this makes them afraid to ask questions. Conformity is an endless cycle that is only ended by examining your...
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...Knowing they self is something that is accomplished throughout one’s entire life. It is a journey one goes on. Socrates said, “the unexamined life is not worth living” by this he said that people should focus on guiding their own lives and morals. “Know thyself is a very popular term that originally meant “a maxim urging people to keep their particular places within society and to carry out their corresponding duties.” (World Ethics, pg 3). Socrates created his own interpretation of this. He gave it the meaning for people to analyze and learn about themselves. If one reflects on themselves they will acquire more self-knowledge which will then bring out their morals. If one has more knowledge about themselves when it comes to their strengths...
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...In Plato’s Apology Socrates is being tried by Anytus and Meletus for two new charges: “corrupting the young, and not acknowledging the gods of the city acknowledges, but new daimonic activities instead” (Morgan 2005, 51). Throughout Plato’s Apology and Euthyphro Socrates uses complex rhetoric to challenge the charges brought against him based on his thoughts and understanding of what is right and wrong. He never once states he is not guilty nor does he provide reasons to support his innocence. He suggests rather that he is on a divine mission stating “this is what the god orders me to do, and I think there is no greater blessing for the city than my service to the god” (Morgan 2005, 55). Socrates uses his trial as an opportunity to show inconsistencies in the charges themselves, through questioning his accusers. Socrates remains true to him-self, a philosopher, and finds fulfillment out of the process rather than the outcome “…for the unexamined life is not worth living for men…” (Morgan 2005, 60) Socrates should be found guilty as his intentions to continue to practice the life of a philosopher may not have been morally wrong, his methods however unlawful during Athenian times. Socrates was not a member of a modern day society where innovative thought was encouraged, and freedom of speech tolerated. He chose to be a member of Athenian society therefore needed to conform to the requirements set out by the city. Suggesting other God’s and questioning the Gods of the city do not...
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...have multiple types of governments and leaders. All these power changes brought new ideas that helped their civilizations survive, including a new way of medicine. These power struggles also made people begin to think and questions their lives through the study of philosophy. One of the civilizations...
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...countless number of ways. In Plato’s Apology and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King both text are intensely concerned with how human reality seems open to interpretation, and their concerns caused a threat to be overcome in both readings. In both readings their suggested responses is similar to the concerns of the threat of open to interpretation. The Apology, written by Plato, illustrates the argument Socrates gives at his trial in Athens. Socrates is giving his defense of not in favor of believing in the gods and corrupting the youth. In making his defense, Socrates will respond to two kinds of accusations. The first one is referred to as the older or more ancient accusation and the second one is the current charge being made by Meletus, and other civilians who are currently at the trial. They accused him of being a sophist, someone that provides wisdom for a fee. Socrates advises the jurors that the statement is false; he enlightens others for the sole purpose to make everyone aware of their lack of knowledge. Socrates informs the jurors how he achieved this reputation. He claims that his childhood friend, Chaerophon, went to an Oracle of Delphi and inquired if there was someone wiser than Socrates and the oracle said “there is no man wiser” (561). Socrates couldn't accept Wu 2 the Oracle's words since he knows for a fact that he doesn't own this wisdom. Socrates then went on a mission to decipher the paradox and to clarify the meaning of the Oracles words by interrogating others...
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