Examined Existence

One of the hallowed dictums of Western philosophy, that goes back to Socrates' time, is “know thyself.” This advice has engendered numerous interpretations, but one of the main points that Socrates seems to have made is that the most satisfying way to spend one's time in this existence is leading the “examined life.” In fact, he is often quoted as saying something like “the unexamined life is not worth living.” That assertion can seem a little harsh or even elitist. Some scholars maintain that it's an incorrect translation of ancient Greek, and should be stated more like, “the unexamined life is not the one to live,” or maybe even “the examined life is the way to live.” Slogans and maxims often get misinterpreted.

Whatever Socrates really said (and that's just conjecture, because most of what we have is Plato's account—no Socratic writings), the majority of philosophers agree that his message was that a worthwhile life must contain lots of self-examination. For one to arrive at a modicum of truth and understanding, it is necessary to continually scrutinize one's reasoning and thoughts, in order to live well and make wise decisions. Those who don't, will repeatedly make foolish decisions and commit unhealthy actions—for themselves or others. Eastern philosophers (the Buddha and Confucius being good examples) had a similar kind of advice—teaching that meditation and contemplation were excellent methods of self-examination.

Pondering this view, I recently found myself thinking about the relationships and contrasts between four things: (1) my perceptions, (2) my emotions, (3) my behavior, and (4) the truth. My perceptions describe my current understanding of my world—my ability to correctly comprehend what it's all about. My emotions can be quite different, in that they often stem from unconscious drives. Freud was a champion of describing the crucial role of our unconscious processes. Then there's my behavior—what I do. I may believe I think one way, but sometimes act quite another. And finally there is the truth... reality. Am I tuned into the authenticity of my world, or am I living some kind of fantasy?

I believe that a core aspect of the examined life for me is to weigh these four aspects of my life and try to discern how close or removed my existence is from the truth. The first three of these requires that I probe as well as I can what's going on in my life—what I think, how I feel, and what I do. If there is a significant disparity between them, I have some serious internal work to do. But even if these three aspects of my being are pretty much on the same page, I still need to compare them to reality. That comparison and what I do about it is central to the examined life that Socrates promoted.
 
A key part of the process is to maintain a respectable level of intellectual humility. What do I know? How do I know it? Am I justified in my beliefs? And—most critically—can I be wrong about what I believe? Many of us cling to our beliefs, convincing ourselves that they are genuine. It requires a decent amount of humility to admit that there could be a measurable amount of bullshit in our opinions.

I liken this process of self-examination to the scientific process. It contrasts strongly with the certainty that some people feel they get from authorities or scripture. Science admits that it may never have the complete story, so it engages in an ongoing method of evaluating and improving its understanding of the truth—step by step. The examined life follows the very same procedure: in a sequential process, we take a close look at our perceptions, compare them to truth, and adjust accordingly. I believe that this can involve a careful consideration of not just my perceptions, but including in the process an evaluation of my emotions and behavior—and then weighing it all against the truth. It may be seen as a scientific way of conducting an examined existence.