The Unexamined Life Is Boring!

Socrates said that “the unexamined life is not worth living.”

Is yours an examined life? Is what we believe about life, meaning, death, God, immortality, truth, justice, morality, sex, and freedom, to name a few, true? This is a segment of my lecture, “Introduction to Philosophy,” in particular Plato's Allegory of the Cave.

Below, you can listen to the full podcast.

Philosophy comes from the Greek words Sophia and Phileo, which is the love of wisdom. Philosophy is reflecting on yourself. Philosophy is shutting the TV, radio, MP3 player, and phone off and listening to yourself think for once.

Key Ideas in Brief

• Wisdom vs. Knowledge: Philosophy is not merely the pursuit of knowledge, but the love of wisdom (Philo-Sophia) — knowing how to use knowledge to become a better person. 
• The Philosophical Child: Philosophy begins with wonder; the profound "Why?" of a child is the same impulse that drives the greatest thinkers. 
• The Cave of Shadows: Most of us live in a state of "shadow-watching," mistaking social constructs and sensory perceptions for the ultimate reality. 
• The Cost of Truth: Stepping out of the cave to see the "sun" (the real world) is painful and often met with hostility by those who prefer the comfort of their chains. 
• From Thought to Destiny: Our philosophical foundations determine our character and, ultimately, our final destiny.

Defining the Love of Wisdom

Philosophy is frequently misunderstood as a dry pursuit of academic knowledge. However, the etymology of the word suggests something far more intimate. It comes from two Greek words: Philo, meaning a friendship-type love (as in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love), and Sophia, meaning wisdom.

Wisdom is not just accumulating books on a mental shelf. It is the art of taking knowledge and making it useful for transforming your character. It is about arriving at a destiny that shines for both you and those around you. Philosophy is an invitation to dive into the historical thoughts of great thinkers to better ourselves and our society.

The Philosophy of Every Life

While many claim to know nothing of philosophy, the reality is that everyone has a philosophy of life. Your philosophy is the framework you use to understand the fundamental reasons for your existence, the existence of others, and the world’s political and moral structures.

We all naturally wonder about the "ultimate issues":

• Is there a God?
• Why is there pain, evil, and suffering?
• Is there life after death?
• What is true love or friendship?
• Is there an objective right and wrong, or is it all a social construct?

This wondering begins in childhood. When a child asks, "Why, Daddy?" they are engaged in a profound philosophical inquiry. Whether they are asking why a parent broke a rule or why we should strive to be "better," they are pushing toward the foundational meaning of life.

Plato's Allegory of the Cave

In his famous parable, Plato describes four men chained at the bottom of a cave since birth. They are positioned so they can only see the wall in front of them. Behind them is a great bonfire, and between the fire and the prisoners is a bridge where people and animals pass by.

The fire casts shadows of these objects — elephants, servants, merchandise — onto the wall the prisoners face. Because they have never seen the three-dimensional reality, the prisoners assume the shadows are the real things. They hear echoes and see flickering shapes, constructing their entire understanding of existence out of mere silhouettes.

The Journey to the Sun

One day, the master of the cave frees one of the men. When he turns around and sees the fire and the actual figures, he is in total shock. The colors and the brightness are overwhelming; he initially wants to return to the comfort of his shadows.

However, he is eventually dragged out of the cave into the sunlight. This is a traumatic yet transcendent experience:

1. Adjustment: It takes a long time for his eyes to adjust to the brilliance of the sun.
2. Sensory Awakening: He feels the dew on the grass and the wind in his hair — realities he never dreamed were possible.
3. Realization: He understands the "real world" of political, religious, and social truth that exists beyond the cave's canal.

The Price of the Examined Life

Once the freed man experiences reality, his heart troubles him for his friends still in the darkness. He returns to the cave, crawling back through the slime to tell them the truth. He expects them to be grateful, but the reaction is the opposite.

His friends are insulted. They interpret his "new" vision as a delusion. They cannot handle the suggestion that their entire life has been lived wrongly or that the shadows they worship are lies. According to Plato, they eventually turn on him and slay him, preferring to stay in their chains for the rest of their days.

"The unexamined life is not worth living." — Socrates

This story is an allegory for the life of Socrates and for Western history as a whole. Whenever an individual stands up to tell a culture it is mistaken, they rarely receive hugs; they receive attacks. As the saying goes, the tree of freedom is often watered by the blood of martyrs — those who were willing to die for the truth so that others might eventually experience it.

The Path to Destiny

We must ask ourselves: What is my cave? What chains am I still holding onto? Living the unexamined life means settling for shadows when the sun is waiting outside. This journey follows a specific, logical progression:

• A Thought: This is where the Philosophical work begins.
• Words: Leading to Persuasion, Management, and Political Science.
• Actions: Manifesting in Engineering, Biology, and Daily Life.
• Habits: The realm of Psychology.
• Character: The focus of Ethics.
• Destiny: The ultimate Religious and Philosophical end.

Let me know what you think! I appreciate your time and your willingness to examine the life you've been given.

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