From chapter 1 of 30 Philosophers: A New Look at Timeless Ideas by Mike Prestwood:
…let’s explore the origin of our first translated quote. This will set up an exploration of your personal language later in Chapter 7. The literal translation from long ago, in a much different world, is something like, “But the unexamined life is not lived by man.” Scholars render it today as, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” but it could also translate to, “For a human being, a life without introspection is not truly lived,” or more succinctly, “Life without reflection is not fulfilling.” This underscores that quotes originate from the mind of a specific person in a specific culture with their own contextual background and origin story.
Get the book!
Nothing is better than reading the full story of human thought over the last 5,000 years. This quote was first used in chapter 1 which sets up the story of human thought and first introduces how a healthy skeptical attitude can help you live a better life. A concept explored in depth in chapter 10 on Pyrrho of Elis and his version of skepticism.
30 Philosophers: A New Look at Timeless Ideas
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About Socrates
Socrates was a Greek philosopher and is frequently credited as the founder of Western philosophy. He left no writings, but his student Plato documented his philosophy.
Some of my favorite translated sayings attributed to Socrates:
- Enjoy yourself — it’s later than you think.
- He who is not content with what they have will not be content with more.
- Do not praise someone wealthy until you known how they employ it.
- We should hear and see more than we speak.
- False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.
- He is rich who is content with the least.
- Once made equal to man, woman becomes his superior.
