What did Socrates mean by saying that the unexamined life is not worth living?

Socrates famously declared that "the unexamined life is not worth living" during his defense speech at his trial in Athens, as recorded in Plato's Apology.123

By this statement, Socrates emphasized that the primary obligation of every human being is the "care of the soul" through the cultivation of virtue and the pursuit of truth. He believed that virtue is a form of knowledge, and therefore, one must actively engage in critical inquiry to understand the nature of concepts like justice, piety, and courage.345

For Socrates, living an "examined" life meant:
* Rejecting complacency: Refusing to accept conventional beliefs or moral codes without subjecting them to rigorous scrutiny.53
* Recognizing ignorance: Acknowledging one's own lack of knowledge as the necessary starting point for wisdom.1
* Prioritizing inquiry: Using the Socratic method to expose contradictions in one's own beliefs and those of others, thereby clearing away false assumptions to search for true knowledge.15

Ultimately, Socrates viewed this process of self-reflection as essential to being a good human being, maintaining that a life lived without such critical examination lacks the moral depth and integrity required to be truly worthwhile.163