Platos The Apology is a dialogue that provides Platos version of a speech given by Socrates to defend himself against the charges of corrupting the youth and impiety, charges that Socrates ultimately was convicted of and sentenced to death. This dialogue contains one of the most frequently cited lines in the entire history of Western thought. When speaking to the jury to explain why he cant simply stop what he is doing, why he cant stop annoying people by constantly questioning them about what they believe, and why Socrates says that he cant stop examining his own life because the unexamined life is not worth living. That statement provides tremendous insight into Socrates understanding of what it means to live a good life. What Socrates is telling us is that the person who merely wakes up in the morning, goes to work, does his job, comes home, watches television, goes to b
ed, and then repeats this process, day in and day out for his entire life, never really reflecting on what he ought to be doing or what he values and why that life is not worth living. But for Socrates, participating in this type of rational reflection about what you value and why that is, doing philosophy, is not enough by itself to live a good life. What is also needed is that an individual becomes a master of himself, using his reason to rein in his passions, as well as doing what he can to help promote the stability of his community. And these topics are explored directly in Platos dialogue The Republic. While most people think of this as a political dialogue that focuses on the nature of justice, it is perhaps better understood as a dialogue focusing on virtue and the role of philosophy, community, and the state in helping to create the conditions that make living well possible.