Discuss Socrates’ claim that “the unexamined life is not worth living.”

Discuss Socrates’ claim that “the unexamined life is not worth living.”


Socrates seems to ask incessant questions that are very annoying to whomever he is conversing with. Socrates makes the other person feel like he is questioning his or her intelligence. And now I wonder how intelligent I will appear to my reader, but that never stopped me before.


“The unexamined life is not worth living” makes me think of my minister talking about life’s trials. He said if you aren’t facing hard trials in your life, you are not doing something right. Unlike others of my Baptist faith, I believe I was born with an ability to know right from wrong. I also believe there is not one of us “earthlings” who is worthy of standing in the presence of God. My conscious bothers me when I do a wrong thing. But still, I have prayed a prayer, “God, please show me what is wrong with me.” And, He did and does.


It’s as if there is a “blind spot.” I wonder what is it that I am missing. I just cannot see my own “hind end.” So, then I asked my friend, “Why is it that you didn’t invite me to your home for the party?”


She said, “Well, Pam, you know you are loud. Sometimes I just feel that you take over the entire conversation.” She was right and I cried.


Socrates’ statement is very strong and true. Examining our lives helps us understand the subconscious programming. If we cannot learn from our past mistakes, we are doomed to repeat them. How can we expect to get a different outcome, if we continue to do the same thing again and again?


Why do we believe what we believe (which includes assumptions, prejudices and convictions)? We must examine the process of our beliefs to determine what influences our thinking and the motivations of our actions. We all possess unorganized opinions and assumptions. We must take time to scrutinize, re-formulate and organize our beliefs into a coherent, meaningful and practical view of right and wrong. From this deliberate process, we can frame our life view, set our goals, and conduct our lives worth living.