Philosophy / Unit 1 Philosophy 0004 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Socrates and the Examined Life
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The idea
Socrates of Athens held that the unexamined life is not worth living: beliefs deserve scrutiny before they deserve loyalty.
In practice
Tried in 399 BCE for his relentless questioning, he chose death over abandoning philosophy. Plato's Apology records the defense.
Where people slip
Socrates wrote nothing. Nearly everything we have arrives through Plato—so "Socrates" often means Plato's Socrates.
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