a) Do you agree with Plato that the unexamined life if not worth living? Explain. Are you examining your life? How? Use specific examples.
b) Discuss how this is like the Existentialist's beliefs about living an authentic life.
Please gently challenge at least two of your classmates on their response to either a) or b).
I do agree with Plato that the unexamined life is not worth living. If it is unknown then we can not dream of it and we have no clue that other lives exist than the one we are living. We are not jealous of others in that life. The sad thing to this is that this means people are closed off and have a very narrow view of life. Its like they have blinders on and can only see what is right in front of them and nothing that is going on in other parts of the world. If you only know one way of living and you are or make yourself content with that way of living, then why change it?
ReplyDeleteThis, I think, goes against the Existentialist's belief because they believe that you have to live true to your own personality and not to the environmental limitations that are put in front of you. If you are born in middle class but dream of being rich, the existentialist tells you to follow that dream. Plato says if you are born in middle class and you do not know that there is something better, that something better if unexamined and you do not know what you are "missing" so how can you really miss it. I feel that everyone in a college is examining their life to some degree. We go to college because we have seen something better that we want so we have to better ourselves to be able to attain that which is desired.
Destiny, you give an interesting example about the Existential and Platonic views on someone who is born into the middle class but dreams of being rich. But don't you think these would go hand in hand as far as living an 'examined' life? For example if someone wanted to become rich yet they were not born into this lifestyle Plato says to examine all aspects of life and when this is done they are able to choose a path or way of life and the existentialists urge them to commit to this and make it happen, despite environmental circumstances. In this sense I thing Plato and the Existentialists agree.
DeleteI agree with Plato that a "the unexamined life is not worth living". Everyday that we wake up we have to be willing to gather more knowledge about the things all around us. The more you want to take in the more you are able to try new things and experiences and expand your life. If you're not willing to do that you'll be waking doing the same thing over and over again and only worry about yourself and your same routines. Eventually a person is going to get bored with that and be happy with how they got there.
ReplyDeleteI think that is a great point that we have to be willing to gather this knowledge! If you want to learn it and take it in, it will expand your life and you will be happy. If you do not do anything about and keep doing the same thing over and over again, eventually you will get tired of it and not be happy.
DeleteI do agree with Plato that the unexamined life is not worth living. If you are living your life but doing nothing that makes you happy, you are not really living your life, you are simply existing. People also need to examine all the aspects of life too, including life and death, so that when exposed to these situations, they will be able to handle the situations. Additionally, by examining our lives, we can make sure we were able to accomplish everything we want to in life (or if we examine our lives and find out we aren't on the track we want to be, we are able to make changes to our lives to lead us in the right direction).
ReplyDeleteI believe I am examining my life, making sure I am happy with the direction my life is going and am happy with the choices I am making. For example, before entering the nursing program, I wanted to make sure I wasn't wasting any time and I would be happy with my decision. I still think about my decision to make sure I am still happy with this decision.
I do agree with Plato that the unexamined life is not worth living. If you just go day by day doing the same thing and never make changes or do things that make you happy, you are not living your life. People need to broaden their lives and try new things because in the end they could be happy with their decisions or could hate. In the end they can say they tried it and if it does make them happy then they are living a part of their lives they have never lived before. I do believe that I am living my life. I strive to do the best I can do in every aspect of my life and I always question myself to make sure that making the decision that I am making is a good for me and that i will be happy in the end.
ReplyDeletePlato relates to the existentialists in that he also believes that when someone commits to living life they must fully commit to it. For example if someone is committed to living a good life full of good deeds they must stick to this and always do good deeds, never straying out of this commitment and committing harmful acts. This relates to Plato and his idea of the examination of life because in order for someone to know if they are fully committed to their life they must sometimes examine it. Plato and the Existentialists also agree that humans should live their life, the examined and committed life, without worry about those around them. As Plato's character, Socrates, says in his piece "The Apology" he will not hold his tongue to in order to please others. In this sense both Plato and the existentialists agree because Socrates is living an examined life he is committed to despite any repercussions from others that may result.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Plato's "the unexamined life is not worth living". If a person is living everyday going through the same routine and not experiencing anything, I do not feel that they are living a good life. I feel that you need to experience different things and learn some things that make you happy. The only way to learn of these things is by going through different experiences.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Plato also if you do not stop to smell they roses you might be miss the little things life has to offer you in return. We have one life to live why not live it the best we can. Not experiencing anything and just coasting through life does not help you grow as an individual.
DeleteI agree with Socrates via Plato. The unexamined life is a wasted existence. It will stand for nothing... mean nothing at the end of human life. Letting the relatively short human life pass by without any wonder at the nature of living, dying, loving, mourning, etc means that someone is living the most shallow of existences. There is a fine line. If you spend all of your time examining, then you'll miss the simple pleasures which are fleeting. But through the act of examining, you assign weight... or value... to the instance, feeling, person, object. Taking the time to do this means that you appreciate your life because you're attempting to understand the nature of it.
ReplyDeleteAnd by extension, the examined life could lead to living an authentic life. Examining leads to understanding - which hopefully leads to truth. And truth is at the heart of any existentialist. Without the truth, or as close as one can come to it, one can't live authentically. Attempting to act authentically without taking the time to examine the truths of your life would be futile. And Sartre would probably slap you.
Do I examine my own life? I hope so. I attempt to live my life this way. Honestly, though, I'm not sure that it's possible to lead a completely "examined" life unless you have a severely limited sphere of living. But, I attempt to grow through attending college and challenging beliefs I have heard my entire life. I attempt to find the truth by seeking outside sources from the mainstream, re: the news. I attempt to hold myself accountable for actions which are within my control (and not blame others). Do I always succeed? No. I am only human, after all.