First off, I have no idea why this is stuck in caps lock, so my apologies. I am not that enthusiastic.
I think that this statement, although said by the founder of western philosophy himself, is a bit harsh and over-exaggerated. I agree with Socrates with the fact that a life full of self examination and questioning can lead to a further enriched understanding of life, the universe, etc., however, I do not believe that if people don't go through that "self examination" their lives aren't worth living. If a person lives his/her entire life completely ignorant of possible philosophical knowledge about life, yet still lives and enjoys his/her life, then what's wrong with that? Is it harmful for a person to go about every day living without questioning the universe? No, I don't believe so.
Life, although comparable to the "cave wall", is much more enriched with possible experiences and enjoyment. There are endless opportunities and pleasures such as growing up, having friends, getting a job, having a family, etc. So although we humans are still ignorant to most of what's going on outside this world, we can still live a very good life in ignorance. That's the problem with the "cave wall" thing. Earth is not a cave wall. We do not see three shadows every night. There are so many things that this world has to offer, tons of experiences. The Earth should be seen as one giant playground. That's the problem I have with Socrates's statement. I'm all for critical self-examination, and I really wish I had further knowledge about everything, yet I would much rather live life to it's fullest potential than sit around and ponder about the universe. With that said, I ponder about the universe all the time, but not the way Socrates did it. It seems to me that Socrates just spent all day looking at the sky and asking people questions, which is great, but I think that he kind of ignored the things that this world has to offer and missed out on a lot.
I think that this statement, although said by the founder of western philosophy himself, is a bit harsh and over-exaggerated. I agree with Socrates with the fact that a life full of self examination and questioning can lead to a further enriched understanding of life, the universe, etc., however, I do not believe that if people don't go through that "self examination" their lives aren't worth living. If a person lives his/her entire life completely ignorant of possible philosophical knowledge about life, yet still lives and enjoys his/her life, then what's wrong with that? Is it harmful for a person to go about every day living without questioning the universe? No, I don't believe so.
Life, although comparable to the "cave wall", is much more enriched with possible experiences and enjoyment. There are endless opportunities and pleasures such as growing up, having friends, getting a job, having a family, etc. So although we humans are still ignorant to most of what's going on outside this world, we can still live a very good life in ignorance. That's the problem with the "cave wall" thing. Earth is not a cave wall. We do not see three shadows every night. There are so many things that this world has to offer, tons of experiences. The Earth should be seen as one giant playground. That's the problem I have with Socrates's statement. I'm all for critical self-examination, and I really wish I had further knowledge about everything, yet I would much rather live life to it's fullest potential than sit around and ponder about the universe. With that said, I ponder about the universe all the time, but not the way Socrates did it. It seems to me that Socrates just spent all day looking at the sky and asking people questions, which is great, but I think that he kind of ignored the things that this world has to offer and missed out on a lot.
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