“The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living”

The unexamined life is really not worth living, says Socrates, the wisest man in ancient Greece. His credo has become the basic tenet of the philosophical quest.

At his trial in 399BC by the citizens of Athens, Socrates declared that from his incessant questioning, he found his contemporaries spend their lives pursuing various goals: money, ambition, pleasure, physical security;  without asking themselves if these were important. Unless they raised such a question and seriously sought the answer, through careful reflection, alert observation and critical arguments; they would not know if they were doing the right thing. They might be wasting their energy, time and money in useless or even dangerous pursuits; hence the unexamined life is not worth living.

If they thought he could just keep his mouth shut and stay out of trouble that would be impossible. To keep his silence would be a disobedience to a direct command from God. Of course he knew they could not believe he was serious about this God thing so he puts it a different way, he explained to them that he felt it was his responsibility, "... to let no day pass without discussing goodness and all the other subjects about which you hear me talking and examining both myself and others," he felt that this activity, "is really the very best thing that a man (or women) can do, and that life without this sort of examination is not worth living.

“The unexamined life is not worth living”  were the words of  Socrates to the jury in the court of Athens after he had been found guilty of heresy and sedition. Heresy, a crime that threatened the established religion, and sedition, that threatened the state.

After his accusers presented their argument for the death penalty he had the opportunity to argue for an alternate punishment. Things like a fine, a fine with imprisonment, exile, or some other punishment. His first suggestion was that the government gives him a reward for his selfless contributions to Athenian society. He acknowledged that this suggestion probably freaked some of them out but he assured them that he was serious. He believed that the actions his accusers called criminal were actually actions of the highest value to the health of the state. He admitted the jury would not be able to comprehend that argument so he went on to consider the appropriateness of imprisonment.  Finally he considers the suggestion of exile. He argues to the jury and his accusers that if they think he could just go away to some neighboring state and never be heard of again then they have missed his whole point. No matter where he went, he would end up getting involved in the same types of challenging discussions that got him into trouble in the first place. He would end up being chased from place to place.

He chose death rather than silence. He chose death because he considered participation in that type of conversation whose goal it is to find the truth, to search for wisdom, essential for the nurturing and growth of the soul as well as for the health and welfare of the state. The love and pursuit of wisdom was both religious and patriotic. He believed his death would be a witness to this belief. It was out of piety and patriotism that he accepted to be a martyr in defense of the right and the responsibility of the citizen to participate in independent critical thinking.

The bold statement from Socrates "the unexamined life is not worth living", really fascinates anyone for he doesn't say that the unexamined life is "less meaningful than it could be" or "one of many possible responses to human existence." He simply and clearly says it's not even worth living. Why does he make such strong, unequivocal statement?

Socrates believed that the purpose of human life was personal and spiritual growth. We are unable to grow toward greater understanding of our true nature unless we take time to examine and reflect upon our lives. As another philosopher, Santayana, observed, "He who does not remember the past is condemned to repeat it."

Examining our lives reveal patterns of behavior. Deeper contemplation yields understanding of the subconscious programming, the powerful mental software that runs our life. Unless we become aware of these patterns, much of our life is unconscious repetition. We all have blind spots. Sometimes when we examine our lives, we have that unsettling feeling that we must be missing something, but we can't quite see what it is. We try to examine ourselves, but none of us can see our own back side our "shadow".

We, as children, are given shadows and told they are real, not just illusions of the truth. Society expects us to explore those shadows on our own and discover the real meanings. But just because society places such an expectation does not necessarily mean that we all step up to the challenge. In fact, most find it easier to take what they have been given and form a life around such beliefs. Someone probably thinks it easier to never leave home, to raise their children close to their parents, and form their own microcosm within their town. Educating themselves beyond their general grasp isn't necessary; if they never leave their homes, what's the point? The point, as we should know, is to break the monotony of our education and knowledge. We are capable of exploring our world in such depths, allowing us a new view of what really exists. From personal exploration to questioning of our government, examining what we are given in new angles creates a more thorough explanation of the world as we know it. Educating ourselves beyond our naiveté encourages the erasure of ignorance.

We, as humans, are constantly missing out on ourselves and our world. We don't often jump at the chance to go a little further, to push the buttons a little more, and to ask a couple more questions. We seem generally satisfied with life the way it is. From birth, we have been placed within a cave. Our parents choose what food we eat, what television we watch, what newsprint we read, and with whom we socialize. Even when we become old enough to make decisions, their genetic and moral imprint has been imbedded within us for years. Children might never be allowed to travel, watch certain programs, or even be allowed to form their own true opinions.

On a larger scale, society is also a cave of itself. We are dictated by the media, the government, and by religion what to think, believe, and see. While we often think the decision lies within our own hands, it in fact does not. Our religious beliefs impact our moral thinking and our actions. While the laws set forth by our government rule what we can and cannot do. And the media is constantly directing our thinking through advertising, news, television, and most recently, the Internet. The shows you watch, the articles you read, and the images you see are all hand-chosen to create a certain type of thinking within society. Our greater powers within society discourage the use of the brain as a mechanism for understanding reality. They are more content to feed us reality and for us to accept it as the truth. Thinking for ourselves is discouraged as it may lead to a greater understanding of what we think we know.

That's why Socrates' method of self-examination included an essential element that became known as "Socratic" dialogue. Dialoguing with a close friend, a spouse, or spiritual adviser helps reveal those blind spots we cannot see by ourselves.

Our society discourages self-awareness with a weekly cycle of working and consuming that keeps us too busy to slow down for self-reflection. Consumer capitalism's game plan prefers an unaware and vaguely dissatisfied populace that tries to fill the emptiness inside with shiny new products.

It's a radical act to stop and contemplate in our own lives. But according to Socrates, it's the only game that really matters.