The (Un)Examined Life is Not For Everyone

Socratic wisdom and the freedom to live honestly.

Before being sentenced to death, Socrates spoke this famous line: “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates was on trial, in essence, for being a philosopher: for questioning what had previously been accepted; for not believing in the gods everyone else believed in; for teaching and encouraging his young students to ask questions. None of this was ok in ancient Athens, so he was charged with “impiety and corruption of youth” and set before a jury. When he was found guilty, he opted for death instead of exile, hence his declaration: to live a life unexamined—one without questioning or truth-seeking, that is—was not one that Socrates considered worth living.¹

Since I heard this quote a few years ago, I’ve agreed with it. Like Socrates, the pursuit of wisdom and truth remains the epicenter of my life: if faced with the choice to live without being allowed this pursuit or to die, I’d probably also choose death. I’m sure there are plenty of philosophers to converse with in the after-life, anyways.

That said—this statement, framed with a background of the modern world, comes laden with judgment. In contemplating this quote I’ve grappled with its implications: is Socrates really saying that lives left unexamined are not worth living? To all those people who don’t seem to want to pursue change, or self-discovery, or ask why? or how? — do their lives not matter? Contextually, I don’t think that’s the point of the quote at all, and I doubt Socrates was thinking beyond his own imminent death. But, I do wonder what he’d say today.

Like pretty much everything, Socrates’ statement about the unexamined life must be considered in relation to its context, not as it stands alone. My agreement with this quote lies in how it applies to my own life, and to its historical significance: to be forced to choose either a life void of personal meaning or no life at all, simply because you dared to pursue higher wisdom and questioned the status quo, is a denial of freedom we can only imagine here in the modern technological world.

Those lives who remain unexamined are surely still worth living. That has to be ok, because that is how it is: there are many, many people who do not want to examine themselves or the world in the ways in which we may want them to. There are many, many people who simply do not care about exploring the big questions or expanding, improving, or progressing anything. There will continue to be many people who continue to resist change, and when given the opportunity to examine, turn it down.

In fact, everyone has parts of themselves and parts of life that go unexamined. Who are we to judge whether someone else is examining enough, in the ways we think they should be examining? Maybe the life that person is living is good for them. We should only hope so. Some people are going to care about life- and self-examination, and some will not care at all. Some are going to relentlessly chase growth and wisdom, and some will not. If we want the right to live the way in which we feel most fulfilled and free, then the people across the aisle also deserve that right. Even if we find ourselves judging it.

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It’s so normal to get caught up in something you really care about and expect others to care as well. Early on my self-development expedition, I wanted everyone to want to talk to me about meditation, or subconscious mind programming, or some obscure question that didn’t have an answer. I wanted to “go deep” with everyone, all the time, which was unrealistic and arrogant.

It’s interesting how much value we place on being able to uniquely express our individuality, yet how easily we can get caught in the mindset that everyone should think and like the same things as we do. I think the algorithms are in part to blame—if left unchecked, social media gives the illusion that everyone around us really does share the same interests and views. (If you look at my Instagram feed, you’d think that everyone has a cold plunge and/or a sauna in their backyard and is miles deep into studying Human Design. In reality—this is a tiny percentage of the population, and virtually none of my actual friends sit in this bubble.)

Expecting everyone who orbits you to want to talk about the same things in the same ways, and have variations of the same opinions, is delusional and self-absorbed. And, it’s boring. Not everyone will examine life in the ways you do; not everyone will examine life, period.

Commonality can certainly drive connection, and it’s important to many of us to form relationships with people who align with our greatest values or interests. And, we can form beautiful relationships with people who think and act differently, too. At the very least, we can respect their existence.

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Examining life and love in philosophical ways has opened up incredible richness and meaning for me; questioning and pondering and pursuing wisdom is exactly how I want to spend my time. And, it’s not for everyone. It isn’t a morally superior way to live, either. We each deserve the freedom to live according to our own values and pursuits. If only Socrates had been granted that same freedom.

How lucky we are to not be sentenced to death instead of being allowed an honest life. How lucky we are to get to examine our lives and selves.

Examined or not, this life is full of meaning and purpose. Examined or not, this life is worth living.

Maggie

1. Although we don’t live in Greece circa 400 BC, it’s worth noticing some of the ways modern society still tries to exile or punish people for nonconformity. Maybe we can move on from this?