Course 1 of 18
The Examined Life
Begin with Socrates: what philosophy is and why questioning matters.
What this course covers
The Examined Life works through begin with Socrates: what philosophy is and why questioning matters. across 3 lessons. Each opens with a short teaching passage, then tests whether the idea actually landed — and explains every answer rather than just marking it.
The lessons are sequenced, not a menu. What Philosophy Is comes first because love of wisdom, not ownership of it is what the rest of the course assumes; by the end you reach The Big Questions.
How it starts
The word philosophy comes from the Greek for 'love of wisdom.' Pythagoras is said to have refused the title 'wise man,' calling himself only a lover of wisdom: someone still chasing it. That humility is the point: a philosopher never owns the truth but keeps pursuing it, questioning easy answers and staying curious about how to live and what is real.
“I know that I know nothing.”
Who you will be reading
Socrates, Aristotle are the thinkers this course leans on. Each has a profile with their full set of passages in thinkr's library.