The unexamined life is not worth living.
Socrates Apology, 38a (399 BCE)
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When and why it was written
- When
- Written by Plato after 399 BCE, reconstructing Socrates's defence at his trial in Athens.
- Why
- Socrates had been offered exile instead of death. This is part of his refusal.
What it means
The setting is what gives the line its weight. Socrates is not recommending self-examination as an improvement; he is explaining why he will not accept a life without it, even to stay alive.
Read as advice it is merely strong. Read as testimony under sentence it is a claim about what he took living to consist of.
Our reading of the passage cited above, not a quotation from a commentary.
Read the source
Apology by Plato, 399 BCE
Your turn
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