Examined Life - Cornel West
Summary
TLDRThis thought-provoking discussion delves into philosophy, self-examination, and the pursuit of truth. It explores how examining oneself requires courage and discipline, emphasizing that philosophy is not confined to academia. The speaker reflects on mortality, transformation, and the limitations of human understanding. With references to Socrates, Plato, and existential thinkers, the conversation highlights the importance of embracing failure and imperfection in the quest for wisdom. Music, art, and culture are also linked to philosophical inquiry, demonstrating how different mediums influence our understanding of life, truth, and meaning.
Takeaways
- 🧠 The unexamined life is not worth living, as Socrates argues, and self-examination requires immense courage and discipline.
- 🔍 Critical self-reflection involves questioning untested assumptions and presuppositions, leading to personal transformation.
- 💪 Courage is essential in philosophy, as it allows individuals to confront the dark corners of their souls and think critically.
- 🕊️ Philosophers like Plato and Montaigne connect truth-seeking with learning how to die, emphasizing personal transformation over static truth.
- ⚖️ Truth is fallible and elusive, meaning human beings can never fully grasp it. We can only make claims about small truths and remain open to revision.
- 🎶 The speaker emphasizes the importance of music, particularly jazz and blues, as a philosophical and existential expression of life’s rawness and complexity.
- 🎭 Romanticism’s obsession with wholeness and harmony is critiqued, with the speaker advocating for embracing dissonance and catastrophe, particularly in art forms like jazz.
- 💔 Failure and disappointment are integral to the human experience, but they should be reframed as part of the journey toward greater meaning and achievement.
- 🇺🇸 America’s idealistic self-image as a perfect democracy is challenged by its history of injustice and oppression, calling for a more realistic and humble approach to progress.
- 🔄 The search for meaning is a continuous process, not an end goal. Nihilism and meaninglessness are significant challenges, but striving toward meaning is itself valuable.
Q & A
What does Socrates mean by 'the unexamined life is not worth living'?
-Socrates believes that a life without self-reflection, where one does not question their beliefs, assumptions, and actions, is not fulfilling. It is essential to critically examine oneself to grow and live meaningfully.
What is the role of courage in philosophical self-examination according to the speaker?
-The speaker emphasizes that examining oneself requires great courage, as it involves confronting uncomfortable truths about oneself. It takes more courage to explore the 'dark corners' of one’s soul than to engage in physical combat.
Does one need to attend school to become a philosopher?
-No, the speaker argues that becoming a philosopher does not require formal education. Philosophy is about the love of wisdom and the discipline to think critically, which anyone can pursue with courage and self-examination.
How does the speaker view death in the context of philosophy?
-Death, in philosophical terms, is not seen as a final event but as a metaphor for transformation. The speaker refers to Montaigne’s idea that 'to philosophize is to learn how to die,' meaning that accepting and reflecting on death leads to personal growth and change.
What is the connection between truth and suffering in the speaker’s view?
-The speaker cites Adorno’s idea that the condition of truth is to allow suffering to speak. Truth is not just a set of propositions about the world but is deeply tied to human experiences, especially suffering, which gives it existential meaning.
How does the speaker differentiate between Truth (with a capital 'T') and 'truth' (with a lowercase 't')?
-The speaker explains that humans can never fully grasp absolute Truth (with a capital 'T'). Instead, we make fallible, revisable claims about 'truth' (lowercase 't') that are always open to revision. The pursuit of truth is ongoing and never complete.
Why does the speaker believe music, especially jazz and blues, is central to understanding philosophy?
-The speaker believes music, particularly jazz and blues, captures the rhythm and emotion of life in a way that words cannot. Music, with its dissonance and improvisation, reflects the chaotic and unpredictable nature of existence, offering deep philosophical insights.
What is the speaker’s critique of Romanticism?
-The speaker critiques Romanticism for its obsession with harmony and totality. Instead, they argue that life is filled with dissonance, failure, and catastrophe, and embracing this reality is more authentic than the Romantic ideal of achieving wholeness.
How does the speaker view America as a project, and what are its flaws?
-The speaker describes America as a fragile democratic experiment built on the dispossession of Indigenous lands, slavery, and marginalization of various groups. While America has potential, it’s essential to acknowledge its flawed foundation and not hold onto a romanticized vision of perfection.
Why does the speaker say that failure should not always be viewed negatively?
-The speaker argues that failure can lead to valuable experiences and growth. Instead of lamenting failure, one should appreciate what was achieved and embrace the lessons learned, recognizing that perfection is unattainable in human endeavors.
Outlines
🧠 The Courage to Examine Life and Seek Truth
This paragraph delves into the philosophy of self-examination as advocated by Socrates and Plato. It discusses how examining oneself requires courage and discipline, noting that this process leads to personal transformation. The speaker highlights that philosophy is not limited to formal education but rather a lifelong pursuit of wisdom. The conversation touches on existential themes, the necessity of acknowledging one's limitations, and how suffering and death are integral to personal growth and truth.
🎶 Music, Pleasure, and Life’s Rhythms
The second paragraph explores Plato's views on music, specifically the contrast between the flute and the lyre in 'The Republic.' The speaker discusses the importance of music in life, using Plato’s deathbed request for flute music as an example of how people seek pleasure and fulfillment. The speaker extends this to broader discussions on intellectual and aesthetic pleasures, the role of music in shaping human emotions, and how art forms like poetry and jazz encapsulate the deeper truths of existence.
💔 The Fragility of Life and the Concept of Failure
This paragraph examines the philosophical ideas of failure, romanticism, and the fragility of life. The speaker critiques the romantic notion of totality, arguing that failure should not be seen as a negative but as a natural part of life’s journey. By referencing historical figures like Beethoven, the speaker reflects on the limitations of human potential, the inevitability of decline with age, and the importance of appreciating life’s achievements, even in the face of setbacks.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Self-examination
💡Courage
💡Death
💡Truth
💡Finitude
💡Romanticism
💡Blues and Jazz
💡Philosophy
💡Meaninglessness
💡American Dream
Highlights
Plato's famous quote, 'The unexamined life is not worth living,' is used to challenge the audience to interrogate their assumptions and engage in self-examination.
Philosophy doesn't require formal education—being a philosopher means loving wisdom, which requires discipline and courage to think critically.
Courage is emphasized as an essential virtue for any philosopher, enabling critical thought and introspection.
Plato's concept of philosophy as preparation for death is explored, highlighting the importance of transformation and rebirth through personal change.
The idea that truth is tied to suffering, as proposed by Adorno, suggests that genuine understanding of truth requires confronting human suffering.
Human beings can never fully grasp 'Truth' with a capital T; we can only access fallible, small truths that remain open to revision.
Existential thinkers, both secular and religious, emphasize the finitude of human understanding and the mystery inherent in truth.
Music is fundamental to understanding life and philosophy—whereas Plato focused on words, the speaker argues for the inclusion of musical elements like tone and rhythm.
The speaker points out the irony that although Plato banned the flute in his ideal Republic, he requested flute music on his deathbed.
A critique of Romanticism is raised, especially the obsession with achieving harmony and totality in life, which often leads to disappointment.
Blues music is highlighted as a form of personal catastrophe lyrically expressed, embodying resilience and elegance in the face of life's calamities.
The speaker contrasts the romantic obsession with loss to their Christian view of time as a gift and a giver, acknowledging failures while celebrating what has been accomplished.
America is portrayed as a fragile democratic experiment built on the dispossession and oppression of marginalized groups, challenging the myth of American exceptionalism.
The problem of meaning is considered essential to philosophy, with nihilism and meaninglessness recognized as serious challenges.
Meaning is not a static goal; it is an ongoing process that involves constantly striving for better understandings without ever fully reaching a conclusive end.
Transcripts
unexamined life is not worth living
Plato says in line 38a of the
apology how do you examine yourself what
happens when you interrogate yourself
what happens when you begin to call into
question your tested assumptions and
unarticulated
presuppositions and begin then to become
a different kind of person
so do you have to go to school to be a
philosopher oh God no thank God you
don't have to go to school no a
philosopher is a lover of
wisdom takes tremendous discipline takes
tremendous courage to think for yourself
to examine yourself the socratic
imperative of examining yourself
requires courage you know William Butler
yat used to say it takes more courage to
examine the dark corners of your own
soul than it does for a soldier to fight
on the
battlefield courage to think critically
you can't talk courage is the enabling
virtue for any philosopher for any human
being I think in the end courage to
think courage to love courage to
Hope Plato says philosopher is a
meditation on and a preparation for
death and by death what he means there's
not an event but a death in life because
there's no rebirth there's no change
there's no transformation without death
and therefore the question becomes how
do you learn how to die of course
montain talks about that his famous
essay to philosophize is to learn how to
die you can't talk about truth without
talking about learning how to
die I believe that the oorno was right
when he says that the condition of Truth
is to allow suffering to
speak that gives it an
existential emphasis see so that we're
really talking about truth as a way of
life as opposed to Simply truth as a set
of positions that correspond to a set of
things in the
world human beings are unable to ever
gain any Monopoly on Truth capital T we
might have access to truth small T but
they're fallible claims about truth we
could be wrong have to be open to
revision and so on so there is a certain
kind of mystery that goes hand in hand
with truth this is why um so many of the
existential thinkers be be they
religious like my C or paulic or be they
secular like kamu and S that they
accenting our finitude and our inability
to fully grasp the ultimate nature
reality the truth about things and
therefore there you talk about
truth being tied to the way to
truth because once you give up on the
notion of fully grasping the way the
world is you're going to talk about what
are the ways in which I can sustain my
quest for
truth how do you sustain a journey a
path toward truth the way to truth so
the truth talk goes hand in hand with
talk about the way to truth and
scientists could talk about this in
terms of you know inducing evidence and
drawing reliable conclusions and so
forth and so on a religious folk could
talk about this in terms of surrendering
one's arrogance and pride in the face of
divine revelation and what have you but
there are all ways of acknowled in our
finitude and our
fallibility I want all of the rich
historical uh colorations to be manifest
in talking about our
finitude being born of a woman in stank
and stench what we I'd call Funk being
introduced to the funk of life in the
womb and the love push that gets you out
right and then your body is not just
death but the way Vio talks about here
Vio is so much better than haiger Vio
talks about it in terms of being a
corpse see Hyer doesn't talk about
corpses he talks about death it's still
too
abstract absolutely read The Poetry of
John Dunn he'll tell you about corpses
that
decompose well see that's history that's
the raw funky stanky stuff of life
that's what Blues men do you see that's
what Jazz men do
see I'm a Blues Man in the life of the
mind I'm a jazz man in the world of
ideas therefore for me music is Central
so when you're talking about poetry for
the most part Plato is talking primarily
about U uh words whereas I talk about
notes I talk about tone I talk about
temper uh uh I talk about rhythms see
for me music is fundamental Floy must go
to school not only with the poets Floy
needs to go to school with the musicians
keep in mind Plato bans the flute in the
Republic but not the
liar why because the flute appeals to
all of these various SIDS of who we are
given his tripartite conception of the
soul the rational and and the spirited
and
thetive and the flute is appeals to all
three of those where think the L one
string only peels the one and therefore
it's permissible now of course the irony
is when Plato was on his deathbed what
did he do well he requested thian girl
to play music on the
flute I'm a Christian but I'm not a
Puritan I believe in pleasure and
orgiastic pleasure has its place
intellectual pleasure has its place
social pleasure has its place television
pleasure has its place you know I like
certain TV shows and my god when it
comes to music oh you know Beethoven's
302 Sonata Opus 111 unbelievable
aesthetic pleasure uh say would be true
for Curtis Mayfield or the Beatles of
what have
you there's a certain uh pleasure of the
life of the mind that cannot be denied
it's true that you might be socially
isolated because you're in the library
at home and so on but you're intensely
alive in fact you're much more alive
than these folk Walk In These Streets of
New York in crowds which is no
intellectual
interrogation and questioning going at
all but if you read you know John rusin
or you read a um Mark Twain or my God
hermit mville you almost had to throw
the book against the wall because you
was almost so intensely alive that you
uh need a break get electrified exactly
it's time to take a break and get get a
little dullness in your life you know
take M dick throw it against the wall
the way Gera threw VES work against the
wall it was just too much
made gerder REM it reminded gerder of
the darkness that he was escaping after
he overcame those suicidal impulses
which saw as a young brother in the
1770s and made his move toward
neoclassicism in
viar uh there are certain things that uh
make us too alive almost it's almost
like being too intensely in love you
can't do anything it's hard to get back
to Kronos hard to get back to everyday
life you know what I mean that kairotic
dimension of of being in love with
another person everything is so mean
eing for you want to sustain it you just
can't do it you know you got to go to
the bathroom have a drink of water
[ __ ] Romanticism thoroughly saturated
the discourse of modern thinkers can you
totalize can you make things whole can
you create Harmony if you can't
disappointment disappointment is always
at the center failure is always at the
center but where do the Romanticism come
from why begin with romanticism
see I don't believe give in
Romanticism no you remember Beethoven
said on his deathbed you know said I've
learned to look at the world in all of
its darkness and evil and still love it
and that's not romantic beeen this is
the beeen of the string quartets of 131
the greatest the greatest string quartet
ever written Not Just In classical music
but of course it's European forms
Beethoven is the Grand Master but stream
quartet you go back to those movements
there no no romantic holess to be
shattered as in early be told he's
giving up on that you see this is where
checkoff begins this is where the blue
starts it's where Jazz starts you think
Charlie Parker's upset because he can't
sustain a Harmony he doesn't care about
the harmony he's trying to completely
ride on the dissonance ride on the Blue
Notes of course he's got Harmony in
terms of his interventions here and
there but why start with this obsession
with holess and if you can't have it
then you're
disappointed want to have a dream and
Melancholia and blah blah blah blah blah
no you see the blues my kind of
Blues begins with catastrophe it begins
with the angel of history and in
Benjamin's thesis you see it begins with
the p
wreckage on one pile on another that's
the starting point the blues is personal
catastrophe lyrically
expressed and black people in America
and in the modern world giving these
vicious legacies of Supremacy it is how
do do you generate an Elegance of earned
self togetherness so that you have a
stick to itness in the face of the
catastrophic and the calamitous and the
horrendous and the scandalous and the
Monstrous see part of the problem though
is that see when you have a romantic
project you're so obsessed with time as
loss and time is a t ER whereas as a
jovian Christian I want to stress as
well time as a gift and time as a giver
so that yes it's failure but you know
how good is the failure done some
wonderful things now Becca could say you
know try again fail again fail better
but why call it failure I mean why not
say you have a sense of gratitude that
you're able to do as much that as you
did you're able to love as much and
think as much and play as as much why
think you needed the whole thing you see
it I mean this is even disturbing about
America and of course America is a
romantic project it's PID diesil City on
the hill and all this other mess and
lies and so on I said no no America is a
very fragile Democratic experiment
predicated on the dispossession of the
lands of indigenous peoples and the
enslavement of of African peoples and
the subjugation of women the
marginalization of of gays and lesbians
that it has great potential but this
notion somehow you know we had it all or
ever will have it all it's got to go you
got to push it to the side and once you
push all that to the side then it tends
to evacuate the language of
disappointment and the language of
failure and you say okay well how much
have we done how have been able to do it
can we do more we're in certain
situations you can't do more it's like
trying to break dance at 75 you can't do
it anymore you are Master at 16 It's
Over You Can't Make Love at 80 the way
you did at 20 so what sh time is
real so one question that keeps coming
up or a you know a phrase this idea of
the meaningful life do you think it is
philosophy's duty to speak on this a
meaningful life how to live a meaningful
life is that even a relev is that even
an appropriate question for a no I think
it is no I think the problem of meaning
is very important nihilism is a serious
challenge
uh meaninglessness is a serious
challenge even making sense of
meaninglessness is itself a kind of
discipline and
achievement the problem is of course you
never reach it you know it's not a
static stationary teos or end or aim
it's it's a process that one never
reaches it's sopan you're going up to
heel looking for uh better meanings or
grander more enabling enabling meanings
but never reach it uh you know in that
sense you die without being able to have
the hole in the language of romantic
discourse let me just jump out here in
the
corner okay you all thank you very much
thank so much you sir take good care now
you
too e
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