Are human lives worth living? And, if so, is life worth living unconditionally – or are there conditions attached? The philosophical debate about these profound and uncomfortable questions has a long history, going back to ancient Greek and Roman philosophy. Much of what the ancients had to say about these issues is bound to alienate a modern audience. And yet, by reckoning with their views of the life worth living, we can not only better understand how the ancients saw the world, but also find a probing angle to engage with our modern intuitions about these controversial questions.
What’s a Life Worth Living? For the Ancients, it Depends (David Machek)
Written by Berhanu Anteneh