Before analysing Socrates’ quotes about life and happiness, it is fair to ask whether Socrates’ life is worth imitating? Did he achieve happiness, prosperity and good health? Should we pay attention to his advice in order to improve our lives today?
History books tend to answer those questions positively. In their narration of history and philosophy, they present Socrates as a great personality, as someone to be emulated, especially in difficult circumstances.
Plato (427-347 BC) professed an unlimited admiration for Socrates. The vast majority of Plato’s writings present the truth as a record of some speech made by Socrates.
If we believe the writings of Plato, Socrates had come up with highly innovative ideas in all areas of philosophy, ideas that left all prior philosophers in the dust. Plato had no qualms about presenting Socrates as an ethical model in all areas.
The examined life
In “Apology,” the chronicle of the criminal trial in Athens against Socrates, Plato reproduces Socrates’ views about life and happiness. Those views are condensed in the sentence “the unexamined life is not worth living,” which Socrates spoke out to the jury.
Happiness, for Socrates, is equivalent to virtue. The term “the examined life” means “a life lived according to virtue.” In the eyes of Socrates, virtue is the determinant factor in the life of any individual. If he lives virtuously, he will do well and be happy. If he does evil, he’ll be unhappy and eventually perish.
Is “the unexamined life” really not worth living? I am afraid that, by making such a statement, Socrates was exaggerating, and putting the cart before the horse.
If we look around, we cannot fail to see that most people do not devote much time to thinking about ethical issues. Choices are made every day, every hour, without paying attention to the Socratic views on ethics, philosophy or anything else.
Except for rare exceptions, people are not deeply interested in philosophy and do not find “the unexamined life” unworthy of living. To make things even more confusing, Socrates never gave a precise definition of what he meant with “the examined life.” He never gave a precise recipe for happiness or success.
The role of virtue
Aristotle (384-322 BC) made considerable improvements in this area. In his “Eudemian Ethics” and “Nicomachean Ethics,” he spoke in favour of virtue, but not as a life-or-death factor. In the Aristotelian philosophy, virtue is a tool for achieving well-being and happiness, not a prerequisite for living.
Socrates’ quotes about life and happiness revolve around his conviction that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Each dialogue written by Plato deals, directly or indirectly, with the concept that virtue equals happiness, and evil equals misery or self-destruction.
As a result, Socrates vowed to concentrate all his efforts on philosophy. He took part in many debates in the marketplace of Athens, and made thoughtful remarks on learning, friendship, social organisation, justice, the nature of courage, and lots of other subjects.
For what concerns lifestyle, Plato and Xenophon portray Socrates as poor, wearing a simple garment, walking barefoot, and offering a generally unkempt image. He looked like one of the Ancient Greek statutes that represent “a philosopher” with a long beard and wearing a simple tunic.
What did Socrates recommend in order to attain happiness?Plato’s “Apology” answers this question by noting that, during the criminal trial, Socrates advised the jury “to care for the soul above everything else in life.”
Socrates’ lifestyle
Socrates’ lifestyle reflects this standpoint perfectly because, if we trust Plato and Xenophon, Socrates paid little attention to anything else other than philosophy.
Due to the scant details provided by Plato and Xenophon, I cannot cogently estimate Socrates’ income; he affirmed several times in Plato’s dialogues that he was not charging money for teaching, but this does not mean that he would not accept help from friends and students.
The inordinate amount of time devoted by Socrates to “the care of his own soul” leads me to think that, in addition to land and herd, he might have possessed other material assets, or that he may have enjoyed direct financial support from friends.
Wisdom constitutes the path for achieving happiness, says Socrates. In Book VII of Plato’s “Republic,” Socrates employs the allegory of the cave, where he explains the different, better life that one can expect after acquiring wisdom.
People who lack wisdom are comparable, says Socrates, to people “living underground or in a cave” without direct access to outdoor life. They are unable to perceive reality as it is. This deficiency prevents them from understanding the world and making the best of their lives.
The allegory of the cave
In the absence of wisdom, people only see shadows on the cave’s wall; they see distorted images of the reality outside, but cannot apprehend the facts directly. Their ability to make good decisions is severely curtailed by their lack of access to reality.
Socrates then explains that the achievement of wisdom and happiness requires that the prisoners are released from the cave and go outside. At the beginning, they might be blinded by the intensity of sunlight, but little by little, they will learn to regard reality as it is.
In the eyes of Socrates, education is the primary tool to see the world sharply. It is the remedy that liberates prisoners from the cave and enables them to perceive the facts as they are, and understand the advantages of virtuous behaviour.
Book IV of “Republic” contains detailed Socrates’ depiction of the three elements of human existence, namely, the appetites or basic instincts, the rational or calculating abilities, and the spiritual or emotional elements. The latter include the love for justice and honour, and the ability to display courage.
According to Socrates, one’s happiness depends heavily on the cultivation of the spiritual elements; truth and virtue are not easy to identify, especially in crisis situations; that’s why it’s so important that we devote ourselves to the pursuit of wisdom.
Wisdom is not only an individual’s virtue, argues Socrates, but the basis for optimal social interactions. In Plato’s “Lysis,” Socrates establishes the principles of a happy, solid friendship, that is, the mutual admiration and common pursuit of virtue.
Friendship is a major contributor to happiness, but without wisdom, it is unworkable to make good friends. People admire certain values and attitudes, and then will choose their friends accordingly.
Bad people will choose bad people as companions, but it is not proper to use the term “friend” in this context. Happiness is greatly enhanced by the cultivation of virtue, by breaking out of the cave, looking at reality for what it is, and associating with people who share our ethical standards.
If you are interested in applying rational ideas in all sorts of situations, I recommend my book “The philosophy of builders.”