Aesthetics and Philosophy

“An unexamined life is not worth living” Socrates

The Parthenon

Art reflects the values and beliefs of the people that create it. This statement is true for
all cultures, including Ancient Greece. One value that made Ancient Greeks to stand out was
constant pursuit of excellence. They spent years perfecting their craft and when they made
artworks, often to honor their gods, they made excellent work that has stood the test of time.
One example of Ancient Greece work of art that is inspirational to me is the
Parthenon. The building’s design is a marvel to this day. Its massive columns are slightly

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wider in the middle than at the top or bottom. They are also placed farther apart in the middle
and closer near the corners. These and other subtle details enhance the building’s beauty in
addition to its great balance. Plato considered art to be imitation of reality. According to him,
“the artist copies the experienced object, or uses it as model for the work” (Funk & Wagnalls
1). The Parthenon can be considered to be an imitation of the perfection of goddess Athena.
Considered the finest example of the architecture of Ancient Greece, the Parthenon was built
to honor Athena, the Greek goddess whom Athens was named. Athena was the goddess of
wisdom and was fitting for her because it represented the immense love of wisdom that
Athenians had.
It is this love for wisdom that Socrates alluded to when he made the statement
“unexamined life is not worth living”. Made towards the end of his trial, Socrates made this
statement when rejecting the offer of going to exile instead of facing death in Athens because
going to exile “would have amounted to revocation of his vocation” (Ellis 3). Socrates
believed that the purpose of life was to pursue wisdom through examination and questioning
of everything, and logical argument with others. Thus, given a choice of exile without
philosophy or death, Socrates chose death.
Socrates’ single mindedness in pursuit of knowledge, represents the spirit of the
Greeks that allowed them to create works of genius such as the Parthenon. Therefore, I find
the Parthenon inspirational because, as a work of art, it shows that human beings can make
great achievements through constant pursuit of excellence.

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Works Cited
Ellis, R. Apology by Plato. Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2019
Funk & Wagnalls. Aesthetics. Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 2018.