examined life
Deliberate self-aware living
An examined life is one subjected to reflection and self-scrutiny rather than lived on autopilot.
The phrase comes from Socrates's declaration that "the unexamined life is not worth living"—the idea that genuine human flourishing requires questioning one's beliefs, values, and choices.
She left corporate law to pursue an examined life.
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
- SocratesAncient Athenian questioning philosopher
- know thyselfImperative for introspection
- philosophyStudy of fundamental truths
meaning · purpose · contemplation · quiet contemplation · deep thought · wisdom · self-awareness · soul searching · questioning · mortality · authenticity · conscience · meditation · journal · solitude · depth · unexamined · worth
- Greek philosophyAristotle, Socrates, Plato, Pythagoras, Academy
- philosophyethics, logic, metaphysics, ontology, epistemology
- SocratesSocrates, Socratic method, Socratic irony, know thyself, daimon
- ancient philosophyPlato, Aristotle, Socrates, Platonism, Epicureanism
examined, life, examine, examines, examining, examination, examinations, examiner, examiners