In their book When Bad Thinking Happens to Good People philosophers Steven Nadler and Lawrence Shapiro have a chapter on the events surrounding the trial of Socrates. It's during his trial that Socrates utters his famous dictum to the jurors that the unexamined life is not worth living.
On the surface, what Socrates means by the unexamined life is a life in which one "never questions things, least of all his own actions and plans." Nadler and Shapiro describe it as a life "spent in front of the television watching junk and eating crap."
But, these authors insist, Socrates is really saying more than this since it's possible that an unexamined life can be heroic, as in the case of Achilles who never did much rational introspection and allowed his life to be governed by his passions.
Socrates is employing a bit of hyperbole, they argue, to press home the point not that the lives of those who neglect the relevant kind of examination or questions are worthless, but rather that they're living a less than fully human life. They're failing to live up to their fullest potential as human beings.
The man or woman who neglects to think seriously about life's most important questions is squandering one of the gifts that make humans more than just brute animals - our rationality. Such people are "like a thoroughbred racehorse that spends its days in a stable."
If that's so then what are some of the questions one should ponder, not just in a once and done fashion, but throughout their lives?
One such question, surely, is how should we live? What is the best way of life for a particular man or woman? Another question follows from it - what is a morally good life? What is the right thing to do in a particular situation? What ought I to do and how can I know?
These lead to other questions such as what gives my life meaning? What is the nature of justice and what is love? What do I think about death?
These are just a few of the things everyone might give more than a little thought to as they approach adulthood and as they go on to live out their lives. The paramount questions, though, are what do I believe about God, why do I believe whatever it is I believe, and what are the consequences of my belief or unbelief for everything else I believe?
Indeed, how one answers most of life's ultimate questions depends upon how one answers the question about God.
Unfortunately, many people never really spend much time thinking about these things. They're like philosophical tumbleweeds allowing themselves to be blown in whichever direction the winds of life take them. Their lives and projects are often shallow and superficial, spent in the pursuit of frivolities and trivial amusements.
At least that's the subtext of Socrates' claim. I leave it to you to judge whether he's correct and whether you think he's being fair.
