Is The “Examined Life” The Best Path to The Good Life? Essay Sample

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Is The “Examined Life” The Best Path to The Good Life?
In “Apology,” Socrates makes an argument for the life that is worth living. This is the examined life. The examined life is the kind of life where the individual takes a step back and evaluates their day-to-day life. According to Socrates, the examined life is the good life because it forces one to remain in a constant state of thinking that allows them to become better beings. While the examined life is the good life, according to Socrates, other philosophers have different opinions regarding a good life. For instance, Fredrick Neichze found that a life based on doing what is moral alone is not a good life. According to Neichze, one has to allow themselves to experience other aspects of life if one is to live good lives. Neichze felt that the moral uprightness and need always to do what is praiseworthy, according to Socrates, was a hindrance to the good life. Life, as many find, has several possibilities. So, living a good life cannot be based solely on morals. Like Neichze, I believe that a good life is lived to the fullest.
A good life has to be based on more than morals. Morals are indeed the fabric of our society, but they should not dictate our every action. Many people have lived exemplary lives by doing things that are considered immoral. In turn, they have challenged other people to explore different aspects of life that make their lives worth living. For instance, as an individual, I have always felt that being religious limited my understanding of life. Therefore, in a daring attempt at understanding life, I decided to be non-religious. Being non-religious is something that many would view as immoral. Therefore, based on Socrates’ view, I am not living a good life because I am not moralistic. However, as I have found, being amoral allows me to gain interest in the different understandings that people may have about life. Being amoral has led me to study philosophy, which I find to be the sun in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.”
Climate change is a serious matter in the modern-day world. A few years ago, I would not have realized how dire climate change is, but today I do. Among religious groups, the problem of climate change is less apparent. Religious people prefer to leave the unsolvable to God. If I had stuck to my spiritual ways, I would probably hold the same belief. However, the...