"The unexamined life is not worth living" is a famous

dictum In general usage, a dictum ( in Latin; plural dicta) is an authoritative or dogmatic statement. In some contexts, such as legal writing and church cantata librettos, ''dictum'' can have a specific meaning. Legal writing In United States legal ter ...

supposedly uttered by

Socrates Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...

at his trial for

impiety Impiety is a perceived lack of proper respect for something considered sacred. Impiety is often closely associated with sacrilege, though it is not necessarily a physical action. Impiety cannot be associated with a cult, as it implies a larger b ...

and corrupting youth, for which he was subsequently sentenced to death. The dictum is recorded in Plato's '' Apology'' (38a5–6) as ().

Rationale

This statement relates to Socrates' understanding and attitude towards

death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

and his commitment to fulfill his goal of investigating and understanding the statement of the Pythia (i.e. that there was no one wiser than Socrates). Socrates understood the

Pythia Pythia (; grc, Πυθία ) was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo at Delphi. She specifically served as its oracle and was known as the Oracle of Delphi. Her title was also historically glossed i ...

's response to

Chaerephon Chaerephon (; grc-gre, Χαιρεφῶν, ''Chairephōn''; c. 470/460 – 403/399 BCE), of the Athenian deme Sphettus, was an ancient Greek best remembered as a loyal friend and follower of Socrates. He is known only through brief descriptions ...

's question as a communication from the god

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

and this became Socrates's prime directive, his ''

raison d'etre Raison may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * André Raison (c 1640 – 1719), French baroque composer and organist * Kate Raison, Australian actress * Max Raison (1901-1988), English cricketer * Miranda Raison, English actress * Timothy Raison Sir ...

''. For Socrates, to be separated from

elenchus Elenchus may refer to: * ''Elenchus'' (brachiopod) Gray, 1843, a genus of brachiopods that is a synonym of ''Weiningia'' * ''Elenchus'' (insect) Curtis, 1831, a parasitic insect genus in the family Elenchidae * ''Elenchus'' (book), a third-centur ...

by exile (preventing him from investigating the statement) was therefore a fate worse than death. Since Socrates was religious and trusted his religious experiences, such as his guiding daimonic voice, he accordingly preferred to continue to seek the truth to the answer to his question, in the after-life, than live a life not identifying the answer on earth.

Meaning

The words were supposedly spoken by Socrates at his trial after he chose death, rather than exile. They represent (in modern terms) the noble choice, that is, the choice of death in the face of an alternative.

Interpretation

Socrates believed that philosophy''the study of wisdom''was the most important pursuit above all else. For some, he exemplifies more than anyone else in history the pursuit of wisdom through questioning and logical argument, by examining and by thinking. His "examination" of life in this way spilled out into the lives of others, such that they began their own "examination" of life, but he knew they would all die one day, as saying that a life without philosophyan "unexamined" lifewas not worth living.D.M. Johnson
Socrates and Athens (p.74)
Cambridge University Press, 31 Mar 2011 etrieved 2015-04-25/ref>

References

External links

*Plato
''Apology'' 38a
Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 1 translated by Harold North Fowler; Introduction by W.R.M. Lamb. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1966. via

Perseus Tufts The Perseus Project is a digital library project of Tufts University, which assembles digital collections of humanities resources. Version 4.0 is also known as the "Perseus Hopper", and it is hosted by the Department of Classical Studies. The proj ...

*J. O. Famakinwa �
IS THE UNEXAMINED LIFE WORTH LIVING OR NOT?
Think / Volume 11 / Issue 31 / Summer 2012, pp 97–103 ''The Royal Institute of Philosophy 2012'' *J. M. Ambury �
''Socrates (469—399 B.C.E.) -2biii - The Unexamined Life''
in the

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy The ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' (''IEP'') is a scholarly online encyclopedia, dealing with philosophy, philosophical topics, and philosophers. The IEP combines open access publication with peer reviewed publication of original pape ...

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