An unexamined life is not worth living...

[WODIN]

But why is that? What do you think?

 

[RyanH]

Because you continue living in denial of who you really are. Examination/Introspection brings about a realization of past mistakes. If you don't examine your life you'll just go on repeating history again and again. Hence, your life becomes circular instead of lineal.

Lineal=progression.

Circular=futile.

 

[WODIN]

I would think that St. Augustine, the first true drop out, would disagree with you on this. What about living in an exestential sense with only the moment.

Is there not something to be said for living this way, you would undoubtedly gain experiences beyond those that are offered from constant self examination and limitation.

 

[RyanH]

I would think that St. Augustine, the first true drop out, would disagree with you on this. What about living in an exestential sense with only the moment.

Is there not something to be said for living this way, you would undoubtedly gain experiences beyond those that are offered from constant self examination and limitation.

Of course, we can examine ourselves "too much." And living in the moment is really all we have, but when we live in the moment we also have all that's come before us--with us. The present is all an accumulation of the past-----we still have accumulated a great wealth of knowledge that we take into the "moment" with us.

Epistomology---the theory of knowledge is really at issue here. Knowledge/wisdom when reflected on will change our moment. Read Plato's Theaetetus for an incredible discussion on this topic.

 

[RyanH]

Further, the great poet T.S. Eliot once wrote,

"There is a lifetime burning in every moment."

This supports my point that in the moment is our past.

 

[WODIN]

I've already been through all those dead greek guys..sorry I just had to say it that way..it sounds funny in my head. Plato, Aristotle, Socratese, Euclid...etc

I really don't see it as an issue of epistomology. I mean you know what you know and on some level, even without examination this will have an unending impact on your moment to moment existance. Let's just say that is a forgone conclusion here.

The art of self examination must be seen as one that is applied when a person sees that something is lacking, that something is wrong. It must come from our most primal nature in the root of our being.

When the first conscouse soul found themeselves feeling some form of illness they surely had to ask themeselves why. Some lead towards the creation of external forces as the cause of events, others lead to self introspection.

Without these fundamental maladies in life I doubt that anyone would ever look upon their own existance with much more than a nod.