FINDING FAULT EVERYWHERE? BLAME SOCRATES

 

Finding fault with the quote, “The unexamined life is not worth living?”

You should.

Social media demands an examination of the unexamined life beginning in two weeks.

Or now.

Let’s start by examining Socrates. And his life.

 

From Liberal Arts Thinking Now And Then:

 

The quote comes from Plato’s Apology, apologia in Greek, which in legal proceedings means defence speech.

Plato’s Apology is a representation of Socrates real trial of 399 _B.C. (2420 years ago) and although it can’t be known what was said at the trial, Plato’s version exists to ask some difficult philosophical questions.

Socrates stands accused of practising a mode of philosophy – socratic questioning – which his accusers claim “makes the worse argument the stronger”, teaches about “things in the sky and things below the earth”, and does not “believe in the gods” so is “corrupting the young”.

 

Also The Collector:

 

According to him, the greatest good in life is to investigate, through philosophical discussions, the true nature of virtue and lead a virtuous life.

To examine one’s life is a fundamentally ethical pursuit. It not only involves investigating what constitutes justice, virtue, and goodness, but also involves the necessary moral striving to live according to their dictates.

Although he was sentenced to death, Socrates had the opportunity to live in exile instead, provided that he would stop practicing philosophy and pay a monetary fine.

Socrates chose death over living a life devoid of philosophy, where he wouldn’t be able to examine himself and others. While explaining his choice, Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living”.

 

The Collector.com is fun, addresses things I like to read about, and does it with just the right tone, like the title of the post I quoted:

What Most People Get Wrong About Plato’s Most Famous Quote

It’s Plato quoting Socrates, a primary source if there ever was one, quoted by author Maysara Kamal.

 

What Most People Get Wrong About Voting

There’s a time to sit it out in elections, to not vote as a protest to the voting system that elects the people who spend the money raised by citizens paying taxes.

You’re probably one of them, a tax paying citizen who can vote.

I’m not writing a shock value post to change any minds about who to vote for, which party, which measure, which bond.

Why would I when I’ve got Socrates and Plato doing it for me.

Socrates wasn’t buying the party line, and made his choice.

We have better choices than either exile, death, or both. We have the vote.

Without getting all Socratic about it, you need to vote for education, high education, and libraries.

You need to vote for candidates with a foundation of learning.

If not, if you vote ‘pocketbook’ because fuck those kids without saying fuck those kids out loud, Socrates is sad.

Examine yourself through who and what you vote for.

This blog, this boomerpdx baby boomer blog, is no platform to sling slime and mud about the reprehensible behavior reported on every moment of every day.

Instead, I stick to what my readers want and need, readers from China, US, Singapore, Germany, Mexico, Canada, and many more.

 

PS:

Who do we want? Socrates.

 

PSS:

When do we want him? On vote counting day.