3. Ethical Implications

• Virtue and Happiness: Socrates linked the examined life directly with the pursuit of virtue, which he saw as the key to eudaimonia (often translated as ‘happiness’ or ‘flourishing’). An unexamined life might achieve success by societal standards but could fail in terms of personal fulfillment and ethical integrity.

• Accountability: By examining one’s life, one also prepares for accountability - to oneself, to society, and, in the context of Socrates’ belief, to the gods. An unexamined life might escape this accountability, leading to moral complacency.