Quotation
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“The unexamined life is not worth living for a human being.”
Socrates · Socratic · Ancient · c. 399 BCE, as written by Plato
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What does it mean?
The mainstream reading is that a human life gets its worth from testing how one lives, so merely lasting or succeeding does not yet count. A competing reading hears Plato composing a manifesto for philosophy and placing it in Socrates's mouth at the moment of death. The sentence sits in the Apology after Socrates has refused the exits that would have saved him, including silence and exile. It is a reason for the verdict he accepts, not a productivity tip.
Did Socrates really say this?
The library’s label is Paraphrase or translation. This is Plato's Socrates, speaking at his trial. Socrates wrote nothing. The line is secure in the Apology; it is not a transcript certified by a court reporter.
Where it comes from
Plato, Apology 38a
Approximate date: c. 399 BCE, as written by Plato.
How to use it
On the Sunday night before a working week, one habit is worth a plain question: why this, and what do you think a good day is? The school-run routine, the late email, the extra shift. The examination is that question, repeated, not a mark at the end of the year.
A mindset reading
Examination looks for reasons. Rumination circles a feeling and calls the circling depth. The habit is to ask what would count as an answer, and then to stop when you have one, rather than polishing the worry.
Understand the philosophy
Socrates is answering the charge that he should have lived more quietly. 'Examined' means tested in argument, the way he questions others in the marketplace, not privately chewed over. Plato is also founding philosophy as that public testing. The life he calls unworthy is the one that will not submit its aims to the question.
- knowledge
- self
- meaning
FAQ
What does it mean?
The mainstream reading is that a human life gets its worth from testing how one lives, so merely lasting or succeeding does not yet count. A competing reading hears Plato composing a manifesto for philosophy and placing it in Socrates's mouth at the moment of death. The sentence sits in the Apology after Socrates has refused the exits that would have saved him, including silence and exile. It is a reason for the verdict he accepts, not a productivity tip.
Did Socrates really say this?
Paraphrase or translation. This is Plato's Socrates, speaking at his trial. Socrates wrote nothing. The line is secure in the Apology; it is not a transcript certified by a court reporter.
Which work is it in?
Plato, Apology 38a Approximate date: c. 399 BCE, as written by Plato.