Examined life

This documentary is a nice introduction to philosophy. It starts with a quote:

“An unexamined life is not worth living.”

Socrates said this at his trial and Plato quotes him. About 2400 years ago Socrates was on trial for encouraging the youth to challenge the accepted beliefs of the time and impiety. He wanted people to think for themselves. The sentence was death, but the Athens gave Socrates the option to suggest an alternative punishment. He could choose to live in prison or exile to avoid death. Socrates believed that these alternatives would rob him of the only thing that made life useful: examining the world around him. Without his examined life there was no point in living. So he suggested that Athens reward him for his service to society. No succes. Socrates was ultimately sentenced to death by drinking a hemlock-based liquid.

Nowadays we don’t have to choose between an examined life and death. But we can’t be lazy, we have to examine life if we want to develop a better society. This documentary gives a nice overview of contemporary philosophers. It encourages thinking. Check it!