“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.

The Importance of Philosophy to a Person

It can be said that while we study Philosophy as a body of knowledge, is aimed to make a person/man a full man-cultured, refined and well-rounded.  It provides him the ability to synthesize, criticize, systematize, assimilate, and evaluate a variety and huge mass of knowledge.  So it is an important aspect of his total development that will provide opportunities to lead a life worthy of man’s dignity as an individual and as a member of society.

The study of philosophies of various thinkers by any person can be exposed to different philosophical thoughts and can develop his own personal philosophy, which in return would give him the necessary direction of life.  These philosophies on hand would give him a strong foundation in meeting the demands of his profession and in coping with the problems brought about by his diverse activities.  These learned philosophies will also guide him in choosing the right option/direction from a wider perspective for philosophy offers the person a holistic view that will undoubtedly be an integral part of his human development. It is therefore concluded that the importance of philosophy to any person is: it serves as a bulwark against mental servitude and thus provides a framework within which he can think and act intelligently.

It can be added that philosophy can be used to help convince people that you are right, and (sometimes, when it’s done correctly, and depending on your opponent’s view) that they are wrong.  For example, if you want a raise from your boss, if you know what these good reasons are, such as increasing the sales of the company, the quality of the product, the efficiency of the company, etc., and how to show the way in which these elements are vital to the company’s well-being, you would stand a better chance of getting a raise than if you were to argue with your boss using bad reasons, such as:  “My poor family cannot live on my salary alone, and I really need to have more money” or “If you don’t give me a raise, I’m going to quit and take my friends with me.”  The reason for the first appeal (about your poor family) is a bad one, for it is an appeal to pity on emotion, and if you haven’t benefited the company lately, then it doesn’t really matter if your family is going hungry – it is not the company’s responsibility to feed your family (it’s yours).  The second appeal (“I’m quitting”) is an appeal to force.  The company should not give you a raise out of fear because you’re threatening them; the company should give you a raise because of your work merits..  In short, if you have a job (and this is about 98% of us) or even if you do not, philosophy can help you argue well for your position.  And in order to be able to argue well for your position, you need to think.

As just one of its many specializations, philosophy contains the study of ethics, which is the study of happiness and how best to attain it (or indeed if and how that is possible).  The main questions of ethics are “What is happiness?” and “How should I live?”  There are, as you might guess, many and varied answers to these questions.  I would guess that every single person is, and should be, interested in whether we can be happy, what happiness is, and how we can act so as to obtain happiness (assuming it exists).  Everyone should be interested to know what the philosophers of the West and East have said about happiness and how best to attain them.  The answers range from “true happiness is not attainable in this lifetime” to “happiness is a state of mind” or “happiness is an activity” and so on.  You may not think that any or all of these views of happiness are correct, but you might be able to put another theory together using your favorite parts of some of the extant ones.  It is worth finding out if someone has already articulated the right theory, or whether you can improve on an existing theory, since nothing less than your current and future happiness may be riding on your view of happiness.

I will close with two quotations, the first of which comes from the American Philosophical Association’s 1992 publication entitled, “The Philosophy Major:”

The study of philosophy serves to develop intellectual abilities important for life as a whole, beyond the knowledge and skills required for any particular profession.  Properly pursued, it enhances analytical, critical, and interpretive capacities that are applicable to any subject-matter, and in any human context.  It cultivates the capacities and appetite for self-expression and reflection, for exchange and debate of ideas, for life-long learning, and for dealing with problems for which there are no easy answers.  It also helps to prepare one for the tasks of citizenship.  Participation in political and community affairs today is all too often insufficiently informed, manipulable and vulnerable to demagoguery.  A good philosophical education enhances the capacity to participate responsibly and intelligently in public life.

Second, Dr. George James, from the University of North Texas, warns that philosophy is not for everyone:

It’s not for persons who have no interest in asking deeper questions.  At the end of a lifetime of philosophizing one great philosopher made the claim that the unexamined life is not worth living.  Many people don’t believe that.  Some people don’t even care to raise the question.  Philosophy very simply is not for them.  Philosophy is not for followers.  If all you want is to get a job and a paycheck, if all you want is to spend as little time and effort at that job as you can and still get paid for it, then philosophy is not for you.  Philosophy is not training.  It’s education!  It’s for persons who want to understand, who want not just to live, but to live well.  It is for persons who simply could never be happy without asking why. (Adapted from Dr. George James’ text)

On Professionalism

I was requested by a business partner and a friend to include in my blog the importance of professionalism. I was astonished with such request by the mere fact that all the partners are professionals – degree holders. For sure anybody would attest that when you are a professional, you carry with you the professionalism that your job dictates. But what about if he does not fulfill his obligations nor his responsibilities, can he be qualified to be considered as professional? The answer would be a big NO, for he is a professional only in words but not in deeds, for he does not carry with him the professionalism that carries with it. To justify such answer, hereunder are some concrete explanations and justifications:

A lot of questions come to mind when we talk about professionalism. But before we can delve on the topic, we need to know the meaning of what is profession and who is a professional. American College Dictionary (ACD) defines profession as "a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science" i.e., medicine, law, nursing, accounting, engineering, etc., whereas a professional is one who follows "an occupation as a means of livelihood or gain," or one who is "engaged in one of the learned professions."

Robin Downie (1990), a Professor of Moral Philosophy who has written extensively on the subject has developed six characteristics of professionals summarized as follows:

1. The professional has skills or expertise proceeding from a broad knowledge base.
2. The professional provides a service based on a special relationship with those whom he or she serves. This relationship involves a special attitude of beneficence tempered with integrity. This includes fairness, honesty and a bond based on legal and ethical rights and duties authorized by the professional institution and legalized by public esteem.
3. To the extent that the public recognizes the authority of the professional, he or she has the social function of speaking out on broad matters of public policy and justice, going beyond duties to specific clients.
4. In order to discharge these functions, professionals must be independent of the influence of the State or commerce.
5. The professional should be educated rather than trained. This means having a wide cognitive perspective, seeing the place of his or her skills within that perspective and continuing to develop this knowledge and skills within a frame work of values.
6. A professional should have legitimized authority. If a profession is to have credibility in the eyes of the general public, it must be widely recognized as independent, disciplined by its professional association, actively expanding its knowledge base and concerned with the education of its members. If it is widely recognized as satisfying these conditions, then it will possess moral as well as legal legitimacy, and its pronouncements will be listened to with respect.

Downie, R.S. Professions and Professionalism. Journal of Philosophy of Education. 24.2. (1990)

From the above definitions of profession and professional, what then is professionalism? ACD characterizes professionalism as being exhibited by one of the "professional character, spirit or methods" or the "standing, practice, or methods of a professional as distinguished from an amateur."

To identify succinctly who are the professionals distinguished from an amateur, we need to differentiate or compare one from the other:

A Professional	An Amateur
Learns every aspect of the job.	Skips the learning process whenever possible.
Carefully discovers what is needed and wanted.	Assumes what others need and want.
Looks, speaks and dresses like a professional.	Sloppy in appearance and speech
Keeps his or her work area clean and orderly.	Has a messy, confused or dirty work area.
Focused and clear-headed.	Confused and distracted.
Does not let mistakes slide by.	Ignores or hides mistakes.
Jumps into difficult assignments.	Tries to get out of difficult work.
Completes projects as soon as possible.	Surrounded by unfinished work piled on top of unfinished work.
Remains level-headed and optimistic.	Gets upset and assumes the worst
Handles money and accounts very carefully.	Sloppy with money or accounts.
Faces up to other people’s upsets and problems.	Avoids others’ problems
Uses higher emotional tones: Enthusiasm, cheerfulness, interest, contentment.	Uses lower emotional tones: anger, hostility, resentment, fear, victim.
Persists until the objective is achieved.	Gives up at the first opportunity.
Produces more than expected	Produces just enough to get by.
Produces a high-quality product or service.	Produces a medium-to-low quality product or service.
Earns high pay.	Earns low pay and feels it’s unfair.
Has a promising future.	Has an uncertain future.

The first step to making yourself a professional is to decide that you ARE a professional. Ask yourself, are you a professional?

On the other side of the coin, professionalism can be associated also when one is looking for a job through one’s common courtesy, professional appearance and speech habits.

In today's world, if you use common courtesy when dealing with prospective employers, you'll more than likely give yourself an edge over the many other candidates who fail to do so.  I realize this seemingly obvious concept is somewhat hard to believe, but it's true.  So as you deal with prospective employers, do the right thing and make yourself stand out from the crowd by demonstrating your class by thanking employers for their interest, being respectful to everyone you meet, in respect to people’s time, and being flexible. Most employers know that the people who succeed in business are the ones who are flexible and can deal with the daily curve balls life tends to throw.

Often job seekers are unsure about what appropriate professional appearance is, yet many of our employers listed it as an important factor in getting hired.  In an interview situation, you're marketing yourself as a product, and so you want and need to have the best image possible.  Keep in mind that projecting a professional appearance doesn't just mean on the interview.  You never know when you could be offered a job on the spot. So present yourself in a professional manner during your entire job search and even after you get hired.

You may look good on paper or in your suit, but if you're looking to nail your big interview, looks aren't everything.  How you sound is often more important.  But many job seekers let careless speech habits sink their chances of landing that great job.  The bottom line, you don't have to study elocution to speak well.  Simply slow down, take time to pronounce all the syllables and leave slang at home.  Companies want job candidates who are well spoken and articulate, and recruiters won't represent a job candidate if they don't match the client's profile.

As I look at it, before and after having a job, professionalism should be acquired by anyone whether he is a professional or non-professional. For the professionals, there lies heavier responsibilities for they need to act in accordance with what they have learned and achieved or else without doubt they will be questioned for they have pledge with dignity to abide with the existing ethics, methods, and procedures of their selected professions.

So believe passionately in what you do, and never knowingly compromise your standards and values. Act like a true professionals, aiming for true excellence, and true success will follow.