Expository
One of the Socrates' most assessed claims is that which he says that "the unexamined life is not worth living." Scholars have attempted to make meaning out of the statement with many agreeing that Socrates emphasized knowing and understanding oneself as the prerequisite of having a life filled with value. Socrates further illustrated that living a life that is dependable on the rules of others without frequent examination is not worth pursuing. In his mind, whenever an individual refuses to question their character, they show a propensity towards living a life devoid of reason. An examined life, according to Socrates, is to live the life of a philosopher (Longstaff, 2013). Philosophers love wisdom and question the world, something that differentiates them from an animal. The famous quote has immense ethical implications for contemporary American society. The American society is a multicultural and dynamic society with many characteristics that could be viewed through philosophical lenses. Several societal tenets including individualism, collectivism, change, and minority-majority aspects can be assessed using Socrates' conception of what entails a worthy life.
Socrates significantly employed the tool of dialogue as a means of questioning intentions, actions, and consequences. He intimates that people must live a life filled with reason to ensure that they differentiate between good and bad. When people can leverage reason as a fundamental aspect of their lives, then it becomes increasingly possible to ensure that an individual balances their personal and collective responsibilities to create a good life (Longstaff, 2013). The concept of the unexamined life has significant relevance to the contemporary American way of living. Two of the most discussed social ways of life in America include individualism and collectivism. According to Socrates, an examined life is a precursor for a good life not only for an individual but also for every person. Therefore, whenever one makes an individual consideration, they should do it in light of the collective interests. Reason, characterized by the pursuit of knowledge, helps in drawing a balance between individual and collective life and the resultant good life. The American society today is inclined towards ensuring that the government provides them with the rights to preserve their individual freedoms and facilitate their personal goals.
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However, the interrelationship between individual and collective life in America comes with a certain degree of complexity. It remains important to note that many Americans are hell-bent to leverage various individualistic values in a bid to enjoy a good life (Lasch, 2018). The society has developed and picked up commercialized tendencies that have further bolstered the desires to accomplish individual needs and wants. Therefore, Socrates' "the examined life" among the Americans is the fulfillment of personal goals. The ethical implication here is that this has come at the detriment of the collective values and goals that people achieve in unison. It, therefore, means that the American society is mainly selfish due to a distorted conception of good life based on the satisfaction of personalized goals.
The ideation of the examined life by Socrates seeks to go beyond the minority-majority power dynamics evident in the US society. America is not only multicultural but also a cosmopolitan society that accommodates people of diverse races, religion, ethnicity, and cultural backgrounds (Lasch, 2018). It is therefore essential for these diverse groups to foster understanding and cooperation to establish a society free from discrimination on the basis of one of the above-named lines of diversity. Therefore, Socrates' "examined life" would, therefore, involve a type of examination that provides individual with the much-needed impetus to develop reasoned actions that ultimately reduce prejudices directed against the minority groups in the country. The Blacks Lives Matter movement is an example of an endeavor aiming at establishing an "examined life" by reminding the people that the lives of the African American minorities matter just like that of the majority whites. The last-in-first-out policy is another example of a provision that seeks to instill a reasoned thought against any possible prejudice against a group of people in their work settings.
American society has however shown the propensity towards employing specific policies or practices that do not inspire a reflective attitude but are generally regarded as a good life. For instance, the electoral system in the country for decades has shown some form of bipartisanship. Therefore, the selection of leaders takes a partisan affiliation. However, a reasoned thought or reflective attitude as postulated by Socrates would demand that the country create a more inclusive system that incorporates multiple interests (Shusterman, 2016). However, instead, society is significantly limited by the hegemony of partisanship. Another institutionalized system in the country that resembles a distorted definition of an "examined life" is the education sector. The educational curriculum in the country continues to focus on employment at the expense of discourse and contemplative skills.
Socrates was determined to explain that the examination of life was meant to acquire knowledge and utilize it to make decisions and taking actions. The constant examination of one's life leads to two scenarios. First, it can lead to improvements and secondly, it can identify areas hindering progress and development (Shusterman, 2016). In contemporary American society, this would imply to the policy maintenance or change as a way of contributing to a good life as stipulated by Socrates. Discourse has always been a significant way of improving the standards of life in a country. For instance, the recession in America caused a major crisis that prompted discussions from various quarters in the political, economic, legal, and social spheres aimed at solving the existing financial crisis. The end of the problem showed that self-examination in individuals could initiate good ideas that eventually lead to a good life among people.
Opinion
When Socrates asserts that “the unexamined life is not worth living,” he provides us with two critical lessons. First, human beings have a moral obligation of accumulating knowledge and secondly, they have the duty to apply reason as a way of determining good or bad. I believe that Socrates was a significant proponent of the philosophical approach in creating a good life not only for oneself but also the entire community. It is only when individual apply rationality in their ways that they can pursue a good life. Although most of his points are debatable and questionable, what remains powerful from the assertion is discourse or dialogue has a primary role in the process of building knowledge and conducting a rational decision-making process. America as society continues to contend with many issues such as human rights, discrimination, policy issues, and governance. All these have a direct connection with the definition of a good life. Most significantly, keen analysis of the American society shows that it has an ambidextrous description of what good life entails.
First, a good life can be born from proper reasoning in an approach inspired by a utilitarianism model where everybody in society succeeds. On the contrary, the good life can also be viewed as a function of personalized benefits where the maximum good achieved by an individual is all that matters. In using the American society as a case study, one can easily accept and deny in equal measures the ethical implications regarding Socrates description of what entails a worthy life. In accepting the hypothesis, one would need to assess the society on a broader perspective looking at the rights and freedoms, governance, and trade relations among others. For instance, the rights protected under the Amendments are a rational or a well-reasoned out method in enhancing a good life for a country like America. Movements such as Black Lives Matter, Anti-Fascism, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender communities (LGBT) all aim at using reason, self-reflection, and evaluation as a way of improving a good life that best suits them.
However, as mentioned, the American ideation of good life can go against Socrates' perception of "examined life." The two significant areas that could be assessed in this scenario include the education and electoral systems. It proves that the definition of a good life is an independent factor that lacks any significant universality. It also separates good life from any well-thought or reasoned out process that Socrates describes. For instance, consider the education system. For years, it has focused on employment and job creation as opposed to inculcating skills that would help the students become self-reliant in their lives. Although this has developed into an important consideration of good life among the Americans, it does not necessarily mean that it is a product of proper reasoning and ethical considerations, the second one would be the electoral process which has continued to divide the country among the two major party lines. The Democrats and Republicans are viewed as the only option available-a good way of democracy or life-thus denying other party or independent candidates an option. The implication here is underrepresentation due to institutionalized flaws and mistakes in various systems. As I conclude, Socrates has correctly identified the many philosophical challenges affecting America in his simple quotation asserting that “the unexamined life is not worth living.”
References
Lasch, C. (2018). The culture of narcissism: American life in an age of diminishing expectations. WW Norton & Company.
Longstaff, S. (2013). The unexamined life is not worth living. New Philosopher, 1(1), 3-16.
Shusterman, R. (2016). Practicing philosophy: Pragmatism and the philosophical life. Routledge.
