Post Type: Fleeting thought
Epistemic Certainty: Reasonably sure
Socrates famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” If I remember correctly, the first time I heard this quote was in a talk by the philosopher A.C. Grayling, who has written many books, including The Philosophy of Life and The History of Philosophy. He’s an interesting and provocative thinker. Although there is wide consensus on what Socrates meant, the quote means something a little different to me.
Even though I’ve never read the original source material where Socrates said that, what I take him to mean is that living a considered life means having a philosophy of life. The way I think about it, a philosophy of life is not some grand abstract theorizing on how to live, but rather a simple, robust, constantly evolving framework that pushes a person to think about each and every aspect of their life and gently nudges them toward living a more meaningful and fulfilling existence.
I think of a philosophy of life as gravity that constantly pulls us forward. To be more specific, a philosophy of life need not be a grand theory. These are simple principles, values, beliefs, and ethical considerations that one lives by. These are things that enable one to constantly seek out meaning and not fall prey to the dogma and fashions of the times or get swept up in conformity and societal pressures.
These are ideas and beliefs with strong roots, but not cast in stone. A philosophy of life is exactly like a plant. From the time a seed is planted in the soil to the time it grows up to be a flower or fruit-bearing tree, it goes through numerous transformations—from a sapling to a small plant to a tiny tree. Throughout this entire process, it constantly keeps changing its shape and form and also its bounty. I think a philosophy of life is similar.
We start with a set of beliefs and keep updating them as we seek out more perspectives in life, as we gain more experience, as we speak to people who’ve lived life to the fullest, as we make our mistakes and learn from them, and as we apply that feedback to our own philosophies. As we fall in love, as we live, love, lose, and grieve—as we take in life and live it to the fullest—we constantly receive feedback. This feedback is what we use to shape our philosophy of life, just like we prune a plant by weeding it out and cutting off errant branches.
Learning with claude.
I gave Claude my fleeting thought and asked for related ideas. Here’s what Claude shared.
This post explores several philosophical traditions through an AI collaboration:
Socratic Wisdom: The original quote “the unexamined life is not worth living” comes from Socrates during his trial, as recorded in Plato’s Apology. The Socratic method emphasizes constant questioning and self-examination.
Aristotelian Practical Wisdom: Your description aligns with Aristotle’s concept of phronesis—practical wisdom that helps navigate daily choices toward human flourishing (eudaimonia).
Stoic Philosophy: The idea of philosophy as an “internal compass” reflects Stoic practice. Marcus Aurelius, in his Meditations, wrote about constantly returning to core beliefs, testing them against experience, and refining them through practice.
Pragmatic Philosophy: Your vision of beliefs as tools that should work rather than monuments to admire echoes John Dewey’s pragmatism and the Buddha’s teaching about beliefs as rafts—useful for crossing rivers but meant to be abandoned once you reach the other shore.
Existential Thought: Your resistance to “fashionable ideas” connects to thinkers like Thoreau (“march to the beat of a different drummer”) and Hannah Arendt’s concept of the “thinking activity”—an ongoing dialogue with life itself that constantly updates our understanding through engagement with the world and others.
This represents a learning collaboration between human reflection and AI knowledge synthesis, designed to deepen understanding through cross-pollination of ideas.