tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post4135131195779666242..comments2024-03-22T06:22:08.010+00:00Comments on Stephen Law: George Ross - memorial lecture tomorrowStephen Lawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02167317543994731177noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-72673497209524098742013-09-17T07:02:15.503+00:002013-09-17T07:02:15.503+00:00However, there is a way to take the sting out of t...However, there is a way to take the sting out of the quote by translating it thus:<br /><br />"The un-criticised life is not worth living."<br /><br />This changes the aspect of the quote.Philip Randhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09143527524267821692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-80218357449187776422013-09-14T08:00:23.662+00:002013-09-14T08:00:23.662+00:00Yes Richard, I would agree with your translation.
...Yes Richard, I would agree with your translation.<br /><br />But I would say that when translating the phrase one also has to take into account the culture of Ancient Greece...<br /><br />After all it was a society that emphasised the concept of "symmetria prisca" in all things.<br /><br />Meaning that it was an "elitist" society...after all Socrates did find the Hesoid "metal myth" expressing a useful truth about the world.<br /><br />I think this is the danger of the quote, i.e. its sentiment is that it differentiates between the right sort of person and the wrong sort of person...because the trajectory of that phrase I think does lead to moral debasement.Philip Randhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09143527524267821692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-87963367796337402042013-09-12T08:39:47.136+00:002013-09-12T08:39:47.136+00:00Ah, that unexamined life quote. As I have said bef...Ah, that unexamined life quote. As I have said before, in other places, we need to look carefully at how we translate it, and specifically at the word anexetastos. In quoting Socrates' prescription, it is standardly translated as "unexamined", with the implication that it is one's own life that needs examining. Liddell and Scott (the big one) gives two meanings, (a) not searched out, not inquired into or examined, (b) without inquiry or investigation, and refers to Apology 38a5 in giving the latter meaning. An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (the Middle Liddell) reinforces the point by giving (a) not inquired into or examined, (b) uninquiring, and again links Plato (without a reference to the Apology) to the latter meaning. On the scope for a verbal adjective to have both active and passive meanings, see Smyth's Greek Grammar, page 157, paragraph 472.<br /><br />Liddell and Scott's decision to link Plato to (b) and not (a) does not in itself prove anything. I assume that they simply followed the opinion of Plato scholars as to the translation. But if that is a good way to read the text, the prescription looks quite different. It would amount to saying that you should enquire into things and strive to find out the truth about the world. You might yourself be a main object of your enquiry, or you might turn your gaze outwards. The point would be that the intellectually slothful life was not worth living.Richard Baronhttp://www.rbphilo.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-27814734571300808692013-09-09T07:02:50.587+00:002013-09-09T07:02:50.587+00:00Paul
Your Socratic point is interesting...
But s...Paul<br /><br />Your Socratic point is interesting...<br /><br />But say, one fails and doesn't examine one's life?<br /><br />Is that still classed as a life worth living?Philip Randhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09143527524267821692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-65962804028189534432013-09-09T04:03:34.210+00:002013-09-09T04:03:34.210+00:00Hi Alexander,
I'm an Aussie, so No 5 would be...Hi Alexander,<br /><br />I'm an Aussie, so No 5 would be taken very seriously indeed in my culture, where taking yourself too seriously is generally considered an unpardonable sin.<br /><br />Regards, Paul.<br />Paul P. Mealinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14573615711151742992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-44302660070916070352013-09-08T17:41:26.249+00:002013-09-08T17:41:26.249+00:00How can you be true to yourself, if you don't ...How can you be true to yourself, if you don't take yourself seriously? What if being true to yourself means taking yourself seriously? The more seriously I take myself and my importance in my community, the more serious others take me also. <br /><br />Otherwise, I like these much more than the originals!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15689553248138454490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-22555128728382639242013-09-08T09:01:27.355+00:002013-09-08T09:01:27.355+00:00I quite like the Socrates' quote, but one has ...I quite like the Socrates' quote, but one has to put it into context.<br /><br />We only examine ourselves when we fail, so logically a life without failure is not worth living.<br /><br />I think they're very good. Number 8 is very relevant: the limits of tolerance are the intolerance of others. In other words, it's others' intolerance that I won't tolerate.<br /><br />Regards, Paul.Paul P. Mealinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14573615711151742992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-92004314240888811802013-09-07T17:35:40.459+00:002013-09-07T17:35:40.459+00:00Philip - I think you're ignoring commandment 6...Philip - I think you're ignoring commandment 6DKNIGHThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17765942593516038928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-44146587452886132132013-09-07T13:24:50.178+00:002013-09-07T13:24:50.178+00:00Having recently done a Coursers introductory philo...Having recently done a Coursers introductory philosophy course this issue was discussed at length with the professor pointing out that a more accurate translation of Socrates words would be 'The unexamined life is not to be lived' - this changes the emphasis slightly away from implying that an unexamined life is worthless to a more subtle assertion that examining your life gives it more value.<br /><br />I was actually going to comment on his use of "the hottest place in hell is destined to those who adopt a neutral attitude in a moral conflict. " as published in a humanist publication - it always makes me smile to see how hard it is to escape religious language, it pervades so much of our thinking.<br />martinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14260048849955077472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-3829212965537949802013-09-07T08:58:14.489+00:002013-09-07T08:58:14.489+00:00Dr Law
Commandment No 2 is quite dodgy...because ...Dr Law<br /><br />Commandment No 2 is quite dodgy...because if you think about it...<br /><br />If the unexamined life is not worth living it then follows that that no other kind of life is worth living...<br /><br />This would inevitably lead to a society becoming morally abased.<br /><br />Think about it....Philip Randhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09143527524267821692noreply@blogger.com