An Examination of "The Overexamined Life is Not Worth Living"

Machshavah Lab

I was talking with a former high school student of mine about the philosophically inclined education she received in Midreshet Shalhevet (a"h). Like any good student, she continued to learn and develop after high school, and to eventually begin to question and critique what she had been taught in an effort to forge her own path. She sent me an essay by Dr. David Shatz entitled "The Overexamined Life is Not Worth Living," saying that while she "does believe that there are some important beliefs that should be proven in some form ... Dr. Shatz does an excellent job at defending beliefs that are simply accepted and appreciated by one's community."
I read the essay myself a few times and found it thought-provoking enough to explore it with my talmidim. Tonight (6/10/20 at YBT) we devoted two hours to reading and discussing the essay. Unfortunately, we only made it through the first half, which did not deal directly the topic my student referred to. We did, however, gain a tremendous amount of insight from discussing the points made in the first half. We agreed with some of his views and disagreed with others, but in both cases, we feel that we gained clarity. I'd like to say that we'll analyze the second half of the essay in a similar fashion, but it doesn't look like we'll be able to do so this year. Perhaps sometime in the future!
I apologize for the fact that we referenced a LOT of other shiurim and discussions we've had, which might make it difficult for people to follow. Such is the nature of broad and open-ended philosophical discussions.
Please feel free to leave your questions, insights, and feedback in the comments!
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מקורות:
"The Overexamined Life is Not Worth Living" by Dr. David Shatz
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