Feedback on "The unexamined life.." essay

[jamalama]

Hi guys, I have a 5-6 page essay due on Monday explaining my thoughts on the famous quote "The unexamined life is not worth living" by Socrates. The teacher wants us to describe his assertion in this quote, how he incorporated it into his overall philosophy, whether I agree with the quote or not, and how I may incorporate his philosophy into my own life. Now I havent finished but I do have the first couple questions answered. Any and all feedback would be a blessing at this point because my eyes literally feel like they will soon fall out. Boy oh boy writing about philosophy is like grasping at straws. Thanks in advance.

 

 

The Unexamined Life…

“The unexamined life is not worth living”--A weighty statement spoken by arguably the most influential mind in the history of Philosophy. According to Socrates in order to live life to the fullest one must analyze and explore the mind itself. He realized the emphasis his predecessors had made on the study of the physical world and came to the conviction that in order to truly understand the nature of things we must focus our attention within ourselves. Observation of our inner selves gives us the ability to not only understand ourselves more fully but our relationship within the universe. In careful scrutiny of our beliefs, values, and the motivation behind our actions we are able to give thoughtful consideration to the way that we live our lives and stay on the right path— which for Socrates was the path committed to uncovering The Truth. Exploration of the mind allows us the opportunity to appreciate the unseen nuances in life and incites mental and spiritual growth, leading to a richer and more meaningful existence. As a philosopher the quest for knowledge and wisdom is what makes life worth living, therefore to Socrates an unexamined life would be analogous with a life which had no purpose or value at all.

 

The credo that Socrates lived by emphasized the importance of the constant pursuit of wisdom through interaction with others. He realized that focusing on attaining a wider scope of the universe through knowledge of our inner selves was far more valuable than limiting it to the study of the corporal aspects of the world. By assessing not only the tangible aspects of the universe a greater understanding of the world which surrounds us could be unveiled. In acknowledging this significance Socrates concluded that we must focus our study on the mind itself. However set on introspection this did not prompt Socrates to cast himself out from society. He realized the significance of perspective and of engaging in intellectual exchanges amongst other interested parties. The objective was to seek an illuminated view of the world by generating ideas, bouncing them from one mind to another, while questioning and ultimately refining them in the process. The ability to juxtapose ideas would eventually contribute to the cultivation of a well-rounded and refined outlook. This progression of ideas would sharpen the minds involved and bring an intensified sense of perspective on the workings of the mind and furthermore the world. The practice of this type of dialogue is what essentially keeps our world in a state of constant evolution, moving forward with a steady pace. The human race learns and grows from the ideas and inspirations of others but only if we allow ourselves to make these discoveries.

 

Without self-reflection we forgo the opportunity to evaluate ourselves, our prejudices and biases, and the values we hold dearest to us. We essentially give up the ability to continue growing as a person learning from our past mistakes in order to shape our futures, and accept the world at face value. When we make the decision to question the things around us we can begin to uncover the truths behind our convictions and possibly reevaluate our views. There is always comfort in living like a “happy animal” (Schopenhauer), however we also close ourselves off from further development as an individual. Most of us don’t stop to ask ourselves the reasons that compel us to believe the things that we do and blindly trust in the things which we are told. We tend to drift through life with no question or wish to understand the motivations behind our actions, largely influenced by the lack of motivation displayed in society.

 

 

There are still two more pages to be written, I just wanted to see if it sounded too repetitive (I know it does a little but I hope it isn't taking away from it too much), and what I might add/omit to make it more effective. Thanks again.!

[Erin]

Hi guys, I have a 5-6 page essay due on Monday explaining my thoughts on the famous quote "The unexamined life is not worth living" by Socrates. The teacher wants us to describe his assertion in this quote, how he incorporated it into his overall philosophy, whether I agree with the quote or not, and how I may incorporate his philosophy into my own life. Now I havent finished but I do have the first couple questions answered. Any and all feedback would be a blessing at this point because my eyes literally feel like they will soon fall out. Boy oh boy writing about philosophy is like grasping at straws. Thanks in advance.

 

 

The Unexamined Life…

“The unexamined life is not worth living”--A weighty statement spoken by arguably the most influential mind in the history of Philosophy. According to Socrates in order to live life to the fullest one must analyze and explore the mind itself. He realized the emphasis his predecessors had made on the study of the physical world and came to the conviction that in order to truly understand the nature of things we must focus our attention within ourselves. Observation of our inner selves gives us the ability to not only understand ourselves more fully but our relationship within the universe. In careful scrutiny of our beliefs, values, and the motivation behind our actions we are able to give thoughtful consideration to the way that we live our lives and stay on the right path— which for Socrates was the path committed to uncovering The Truth. Exploration of the mind allows us the opportunity to appreciate the unseen nuances in life and incites mental and spiritual growth, leading to a richer and more meaningful existence. As a philosopher the quest for knowledge and wisdom is what makes life worth living, therefore to Socrates an unexamined life would be analogous with a life which had no purpose or value at all.

 

The credo that Socrates lived by emphasized the importance of the constant pursuit of wisdom through interaction with others. He realized that focusing on attaining a wider scope of the universe through knowledge of our inner selves was far more valuable than limiting it to the study of the corporal aspects of the world. By assessing not only the tangible aspects of the universe a greater understanding of the world which surrounds us could be unveiled. In acknowledging this significance Socrates concluded that we must focus our study on the mind itself. However set on introspection this did not prompt Socrates to cast himself out from society. He realized the significance of perspective and of engaging in intellectual exchanges amongst other interested parties. The objective was to seek an illuminated view of the world by generating ideas, bouncing them from one mind to another, while questioning and ultimately refining them in the process. The ability to juxtapose ideas would eventually contribute to the cultivation of a well-rounded and refined outlook. This progression of ideas would sharpen the minds involved and bring an intensified sense of perspective on the workings of the mind and furthermore the world. The practice of this type of dialogue is what essentially keeps our world in a state of constant evolution, moving forward with a steady pace. The human race learns and grows from the ideas and inspirations of others but only if we allow ourselves to make these discoveries.

 

Without self-reflection we forgo the opportunity to evaluate ourselves, our prejudices and biases, and the values we hold dearest to us. We essentially give up the ability to continue growing as a person learning from our past mistakes in order to shape our futures, and accept the world at face value. When we make the decision to question the things around us we can begin to uncover the truths behind our convictions and possibly reevaluate our views. There is always comfort in living like a “happy animal” (Schopenhauer), however we also close ourselves off from further development as an individual. Most of us don’t stop to ask ourselves the reasons that compel us to believe the things that we do and blindly trust in the things which we are told. We tend to drift through life with no question or wish to understand the motivations behind our actions, largely influenced by the lack of motivation displayed in society.

 

 

There are still two more pages to be written, I just wanted to see if it sounded too repetitive (I know it does a little but I hope it isn't taking away from it too much), and what I might add/omit to make it more effective. Thanks again.!

What level of writing is this supposed to be at? High school? College?

 

My first thought is that it hasn't yet gotten into the deeper implications of thinking about oneself, one's life, one's place in the world, and somewhat prosaically, “why we are here.” I don't think humans are inherently better than animals; in fact, I think that it's quite easy to make the argument that we are the most pernicious species, at least to our host. But it appears that we humans have an ability to reason that is not evident to us in other species. How does that separate us from those species? And with that ability, do we have a responsibility to use it? And use it how?

 

At any rate, these are some of the types of questions I'd like to see answered. So yes, this seems like a bit of a long preamble, leading into something that's not yet there. The writing is mechanically sound, but it seems you're not quite sure of what to write (which could very well be happening because you're afraid of writing something your teacher doesn't want or won't like).