The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living - Essay Example For a philosopher, every life form should have a way of life suitable for it, that is, the life that is in harmony with its nature. But according to human nature, ‘the good’ involves living that kind of life subject to the truly critical use of reason, namely to live such a life implying anything less that it is quite unworthy of such person’s nature. Indeed he stands to find it intolerable and further, that way of life is quite unworthy of such person’s nature, and he/she should not endure the unexamined life, which is in Kant’s words ‘an eternal childhood’ which in essence is a condition of lack of freedom. This paper discuses Socrates’ words "The unexamined life is not worth living". This would help ascertain if such words are any meaningful in human life. "The unexamined life is not worth living." Certainly those are Socrates’ words while at his trial for heresy. Socrates was on trial and said those words intentionally to encourage his students to always think for themselves and challenge the accepted belief of the time. He was condemned to death, although he had the choice of suggesting an alternative punishment. Rationally, it was expected that Socrates could have opted for exile or life in prison, which would have helped him avoid death. But according to Socrates, these promising alternatives would instead rob him of that only thing that would make him useful in examining the beautiful world around him and discussing how well to make it a better place to live. Without his examined life Socrates believed then that there was no point in living. He, therefore, suggested that the Jury should consider rewarding him for his service to the society. This implied that the Athens had no other alternative but be forced to vote for his death punishment. Socrates believed that the purpose of human life would always be personal and spiritual growth. People are not able to grow towards their greater understan ding of their true nature unless they spend some time reflecting and examining their lives (Palmer 34). Just like philosopher, Santayana, observed, â€Å"He who fails to remember the past is condemned to repeat it.† (Karl 11). Lucky enough, people do not have to make a choice between death and examined life. The saddest thing is that most people always avoid living an examined life not because they do not have the time, but because they actively like to avoid examining their own life. Socrates’ words are significantly relevant in every bit of human life, and I unreservedly agree to them. It implies that a person who is not open for questioning by others concerning his action and thoughts certainly lives in denial of such motivations prompting his actions and thoughts. It follows that such an individual wastes his or her life. That kind of life is but a superficial act that reveals nothing new and nothing unique and such a life is not "real" Socrates’ careful cho ice of words provides much color to his quote. The word ‘examined’ might be interpreted to mean to analyze, study, to check condition or health of someone or something, or to inquire. One would imagine that Socrates insists that asking other persons what his quote implies defiles the precise nature. It is, therefore, best for one to have his or her meaning from it. Socrates suggests that ‘unexamined life’ refers to that life whose purpose has at no time been questioned; a

YouTube Ethnography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

YouTube Ethnography - Essay Example The study of sociolinguistics in different contexts of language usually indicates that the different languages in play contribute to the different sociological views that people have of the language users. In the same case, political, geographical and social ideologies are derived from the social study of the use of language in different individuals. The patterns with which language is spoken is used to make descriptive judgments of the individuals who are involved in the language itself. These patterns and structures of language define the different varieties of language use that are in play in the current population. These patterns are usually derived from the recurring sameness in sound that describe the physical action of speaking, and its use in conveying meaning to the audience. Sociolinguistics includes the study of several language systems that are in play in conversational situations to try to understand the meanings that are conveyed by the physical actions of speaking the language and the implications of the different variations on the individuals using the language. In this case, the YouTube video called â€Å"Shit Italians Moms Say† will be analyzed in terms of the different variations of language use evident in the video. This paper will discuss the themes of language ideology, code switching, multilingualism, diaglossia and dialect. One of the first analyses of language use is focused on diaglossia, which refers to the use of two or more different dialects in a language use. Diaglossia in different communities usually defines the use of closely related dialects in one language community for different situations (Fansold 152). For example, in community, one variation of a dialect can be used for formal situations and the other variation of the language can be sued for informal conversations. In sociolinguistics, diaglossia is usually divided into two main language varieties, the first being the normal vernacular usage of the language. The n ormal vernacular usage of a language is defined as a low-level variety, which is used for normal conversation outside formal areas of language use. The second variation of language use that concerns diaglossia is a highly codified variety, which refers to the language used in formal situations lime education or literature. The second high-codified branch of language use is usually not used in conversational situations, since it is too formal for this application. In this case, the highly codified variety of a language is usually an older stage of a language, for example, the use of Standard English, which is a derivation of common variations of normal English (Fansold 153. In the video being described, diaglossia is seen in the way the actors in the video use their English in informal situations, where the language is a low vernacular-based version of the language. The language is interjected with different language use mechanisms that would not qualify for use in formal settings. F or example, the use of the ‘phenomenal’ interjection by the mother in the video is not formally correct. The actors in the video use a localized version of the English language to communicate with other members, which, combined with the physical usage, defines a broad are of diaglossia. The effect of diaglossia in the video is also emphasized by the use of two languages of equal standing to convey meaning to the audience. The main speaker in the video repeatedly interjects Italian words into the English language, which defines the social structure of the audience in the video. This indicates that the main people in the video are Italian. The second language variety context use in the video is the