The Unexamined Life

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The Unexamined Life Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worth living. What did he mean by that and how does that concept affect you as a doctoral learner? I have known the quote “the unexamined life is not worth living” for a very long time. I have perceived it for the most part to refer to people that do not analyze what they are doing, and just do things without self-appraisal and self reflection. But, I believe the meaning goes beyond this. I believe it involves searching one’s soul through truthful conversations. I strongly believe that every human being should get to a point where they have inner conversations that lead to truth discoveries. A lot of people do not engage themselves in thought-provoking inner conversations. According to Socrates, “Knowledge, virtue and good for people are "innate ideas" when they were born. “(Zhou, Q. 2011, p. 139) If the good things of life like knowledge and virtue are ‘inborn” then, as a human being, one should look within oneself to discover these virtues and knowledge for ones good and the good of others. Socrates further stated, “What education should do is to lead out the innate knowledge.” (Zhou, Q. 2011, p. 139) Socrates’ saying affects me as a doctoral learner because I am engaged in a journey that should help me discover knowledge and virtue that are already within me through critical thinking. “Critical thinking gives one a comprehensive view of how the mind functions (in its pursuit of meaning and truth)…”("The Role of Socractic questioning," n.d., para. 10). Since I started this course, I have been encouraged from day one to think critically. I am asked questions that are thought provoking; these questions enable me to search within myself and do research to arrive at judgments that bring about truth and meaning that exist in the world. In the last four weeks, I have gained knowledge and learned more
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