Examined Lives Today

Examined Lives Today Arête, excellence, the best possible state of the soul. What kind of attributes does one consider when questioned about the excellence of something? One noticeably valuable and monumental characteristic of arête is religion and what it means to be religious. For this interview I chose to examine my mother, Sandy, knowing she would have the capability to produce knowledgeable answers relating to the means of being religious and the potential connections they have to excellence. Growing up my family was always committed to religion, not in a crazy and impractical way, but in a go to church every Sunday, pray at the dinner table, attend a parochial school kind of style. I knew that both of my parents grew up in similar religious families, my mother especially, and wondered what made them want to continue this lifestyle with …show more content…
Seeing and hearing about the religious life of my mother from a young age until now caused me to wonder, what does it really mean to be religious? Using the Socratic Method and cross examination along with the dialectical method I provided Sandy with multiple questions regarding the means of being religious in hopes of finding and comprehending the excellence it implements in her life, the life of her family, and the lives of others. Through this intricate process I had the ability to broaden my knowledge on Socrates and the Socratic Method and now understand the concept a great deal more because I was able to present and analyze through a real life situation. Furthermore, practicing this method taught me many beneficial lessons about wisdom and the values it upholds including the in depth process required to truly understand and