Monday, March 21, 2011

Why might one agree or disagree with Socrates' assertion in Apology that the unexamined life is not worth living?

This statement occurs in the context of Socrates' trial for asebeia. In this part of the dialogue, Socrates is describing how Chaerephon brought back a message from the Delphic oracle saying that no man was wiser than Socrates. Socrates interprets this as affirming that he has divine authorization for his quest to seek knowledge and question those people who claim to be wise even if he offends them. The specific claim that the unexamined life is not worth living is one he advances in response to the choice of whether he will cease his practice of elenchus in face of the death penalty. In response to that choice, he argues that his life, were he to stop his quest for truth, would not be worth living. 


For specific examples, you will need to think about those people such as Socrates, Jesus, and Galileo who died or were persecuted for their beliefs. The statement should not be read in light of twenty-first century narcissism, which tends to be purely inward looking, but in terms of a quest for absolute truth. Emulating Socrates in this, therefore, would involve more in the way of careful reading of the Apology and related books as a form of intellectual inquiry than of pure self-reflection. 

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