Is the unexamined life worth living? The examination of ideas and views are often ignored because society has its own viewpoints that it wants its citizens to abide by. In Plato’s Apology by Plato and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self Reliance, several points are made about the examination throughout one’s lifetime. Although one might argue that Emerson and Socrates do not share a common viewpoint on the unexamined life, I claim that both Emerson and Socrates share a unanimous opinion that the unexamined life is not worth living because without the examination of life, society is unable to progress.
In Plato’s Apology by Plato, Socrates is being put on trial for spreading malicious ideas and exposing people who claim to be so called “experts” as …show more content…
Emerson writes, “Do not think the youth has no force, because he cannot speak to you and me. Hark! In the next room his voice is sufficiently clear and emphatic. It seems he knows how to speak to his contemporaries. Bashful or bold, then he will know how to make us seniors very unnecessary” (3). Emerson explains that the youthful mind examines much of what is around him. He then praises the young mind, despite a child’s inability to communicate with others. We can see the effects that society has on our people. Younger, newer minds are able to form well-examined viewpoints. However, as society forces us to think a certain way, our minds slowly lose that ability. It becomes more difficult for us to speak our minds because we are often afraid of being mocked. However, Emerson does state that the youth does have more force and he is able to “make us seniors very unnecessary” because the youth often don’t limit what they say, as they don’t know what society considers “right” or wrong. Emerson emphasizes that the youth have more power because they are able to speak their minds. When someone confines themselves to the opinions that society limits them to, they are no longer empowered. Youth have power because they are unafraid to speak their minds. Because society knows that outside opinions could allow its sheep to see things from a different viewpoint and break free from society’s own opinions, it mocks the people who dare to speak out. Everyone is forced to think a certain way by society in order to prevent damage to the image that society has all the “correct” opinions. Society calls all the shots, but since its people are never able to think for themselves, there is no examination of the “facts” that society forces on people. This in turn leads to more ideas that aren’t thought out well, but are still
In Plato’s Apology by Plato, Socrates is being put on trial for spreading malicious ideas and exposing people who claim to be so called “experts” as …show more content…
Emerson writes, “Do not think the youth has no force, because he cannot speak to you and me. Hark! In the next room his voice is sufficiently clear and emphatic. It seems he knows how to speak to his contemporaries. Bashful or bold, then he will know how to make us seniors very unnecessary” (3). Emerson explains that the youthful mind examines much of what is around him. He then praises the young mind, despite a child’s inability to communicate with others. We can see the effects that society has on our people. Younger, newer minds are able to form well-examined viewpoints. However, as society forces us to think a certain way, our minds slowly lose that ability. It becomes more difficult for us to speak our minds because we are often afraid of being mocked. However, Emerson does state that the youth does have more force and he is able to “make us seniors very unnecessary” because the youth often don’t limit what they say, as they don’t know what society considers “right” or wrong. Emerson emphasizes that the youth have more power because they are able to speak their minds. When someone confines themselves to the opinions that society limits them to, they are no longer empowered. Youth have power because they are unafraid to speak their minds. Because society knows that outside opinions could allow its sheep to see things from a different viewpoint and break free from society’s own opinions, it mocks the people who dare to speak out. Everyone is forced to think a certain way by society in order to prevent damage to the image that society has all the “correct” opinions. Society calls all the shots, but since its people are never able to think for themselves, there is no examination of the “facts” that society forces on people. This in turn leads to more ideas that aren’t thought out well, but are still