Section A: 1.2 Socrates and the good life




Socrates is often referred to as one of the founding fathers of Western philosophy, and yet he wrote nothing, established no school and held no particular theories of his own. What he did do, however, was persistently ask the questions that interested him and in doing so evolved a new way of thinking, and of examining what we think. This is called the Socratic Method.


Past Exam Question

 ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ Based on your knowledge of Socrates’ thinking, outline two points that he would make about the purpose of life for people today.

The purpose of life
Socrates believed that understanding what we are is the first task of philosophy – ‘Know thyself’. His central concern is an examination of life and a ruthless questioning of people’s most cherished beliefs. In his defence at his trial Socrates chose death rather than face a life of ignorance – ‘The unexamined life is not worth living’. What is involved in this examination of life? For Socrates it is questioning essential concepts that we use every day but have never really thought about, thereby revealing their true meaning and our knowledge or ignorance.

For Socrates the ‘good life’ meant achieving peace of mind as a result of doing the right thing, rather than living according to the moral codes of society. Socrates rejected the notion that concepts such as virtue were relative, instead insisting that they were absolutes – applicable to all people, at all times, in every situation. Virtue is the most valuable of possessions and no-one actually desires to do evil. Evil, he thought, was done because of a lack of wisdom and knowledge. From this he concluded ‘there is only one good: knowledge; and one evil: ignorance.’ Knowledge is bound to morality, and for this reason we must continually ‘examine’ our lives.

Care of the soul


The gaining of knowledge, rather than wealth or high status, is the ultimate goal of life. It is not a matter of entertainment or curiosity, it is the reason we exist. All knowledge is ultimately self-knowledge, because it creates the person you are in this world, and fosters the care of the immortal soul. Socrates says the unexamined life leads the soul to become ‘confused and dizzy, as if it were drunk’, while the wise soul achieves stability, its straying finally brought to an end.

Impact: Socrates' recipe for happiness (questioning – discovering truth – ethical living – happiness/fulfilment), contrasts sharply with his contemporaries, the Sophists (rhetoric – creating truth – influence/power – happiness/pleasure). He refuted their belief in moral relativity and inspired others to question convention and be sceptical of the norms of prevailing culture. His ideas of moral philosophy, specifically the concept of virtue are further explored by both Plato and Aristotle.

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