The unexamined life is not worth living.?

Question

This is my favorite quotes.
Any onsight?

Answer 1

I agree with you and Socrates who said this some 2000 years ago. However, I think we do not have to believe and take it for granted till it does not allow us to reflect and have our own ways of doing things in the 21st century and beyond. What I mean is concerned with flexibility or rationality regarding the saying and, I think, it is the responsibility of each individual himself/herself in doing so. Those outsiders like family members, cousins or even colleagues should do so when requested only. One of the reasons is that Socrates also said, "Know thyself".

Answer 2

There are a lot of beings who seemingly live happily and never examine their life.There are a lot of humans who have much time to examine their lives, do so, and become depressed, sometimes suicidally depressed.

In the first category are all the non-human animals of the world who some scientists say are not even conscious, so can't examine their lives.They eagerly go on with their lives until they are killed by another or naturally die. There are also in this category those humans, who some consider sub-human, who are much like animals in their way of life but they do have the consciousness to examine their lives. They seem more satisfied with their lives than some of those who examine their lives.

In the second category, those who examine their lives, are us Americans who Bret Stephens in the Wall Street Journal recently reported were the "unhappiest people on earth"! We in the USA are experiencing an epidemic of depression and Bi-Polar disorder; near 10% of Americans are diagnosed with these disorders. This was in a study of depression conducted by the World Health Organization and Harvard Medical School in 14 nations worldwide. We came in first with 9.6% while Nigeria came in last with 0.8%. At the same time teen suicide here is at near record levels.

One of the reasons proposed for this was the fact that impoverished people have to struggle all the time for their very food and water (like animals?) and have no time to think while Americans have a lot of time to ponder their existential despair.

Is the unexamined life not worth living?

Answer 3

Also a favorite! Life is not worth living if you aren't going to examine life itself. If you don't try to understand whats going on around you, is it worth it?