Dialectic method

1. The only life worth living is a good life
2. I can only live a good life if I really know what good and evil are.
3. Good and evil are not relative. They are absolutes that can only be found by a process of questioning and reasoning
4. In this way, morality and knowledge are bound together.
5. An unquestioning life is one of ignorance without morality
6. Therefore, the life, which is unexamined, is not worth living.

Socrates chose death rather than face a life of ignorance. But what exactly is involved in this examination of life for socrates? It was a process of questioning the meaning of essential concepts that we use every day but have never really thought about, thereby revealing their real meaning and our own knowledge or ignorance. What is it that constitutes a good life? It means achieving peace of mind as a result of doing the right thing rather than living, according to the moral codes of society. And the right thing can only be determined to rigorous examination. Socrates rejected the notion that concepts such as virtue were relative, insisting instead that they were absolutes, applicable not just to citizens of Athens or Greece, but all people in the world. He believed that virtue was the most valuable of possessions. And that no one actually desired to do evil. Anyone performing evil actions would be acting against their conscience and would therefore feel uncomfortable. And as we all strive for peace of mind, it is not something we would do willingly. Evil, he thought was done because of lack of wisdom and knowledge. From this, he concluded that there is only one good: knowledge and one evil: ignorance. Knowledge is inextricably bound to morality. It is the only one good, and for this reason, we must continually examine our lives.