Examined Life

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Examined Life

2009

1h 27m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Some of today's most-influential thinkers discuss their thoughts.

Critics Consensus

With Examined Life, Director Astra Taylor has turned a seemingly weighty subject into a fascinating documentary.

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Patrick Peters

Empire Magazine

11/20/2009

3/5

The ones that work, Cornel West and Peter Singer for example, are intriguing and compelling but they don't all hang together so effortlessly.

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Dave Calhoun

Time Out

11/20/2009

3/5

You can't help but feel that director Astra Taylor fails at her own challenge of making an academic subject come truly alive as cinema.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

11/20/2009

3/5

Never dull, but it will make your head hurt.

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Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

02/25/2010

3/5

An unusual and compelling documentary featuring eight thinkers musing on philosophical matters as they walk in creative places.

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Philip French

Observer (UK)

11/27/2009

For those interested in seeing philosophers on the screen, this engaging movie offers the opportunity to see eight of them walking the streets.

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justin w

@astromartin84 04/11/2019

2019; largely lackluster

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06/11/2013

Unexamined life is not worth living. Plato.

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antti p

@anqqa 04/21/2013

Some healthy food for thought in 10 minute snack size portions.

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03/27/2013

Word but thought provoking. Should be watched!

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02/27/2013

It works at moments but some parts were weaker. Cornel West is really good here.

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01/10/2013

Excellent primer to 'Thinking' . Covers a broad range of real world challenges and provides insight on how to define those in our mental models ...highly recommended watching for anyone interested in learning to think and be curious about the world..

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Astra Taylor

Director

Kwame Anthony Appiah

Actor

Judith Butler

Actor

Michael Hardt

Actor

Martha Nussbaum

Actor

Avital Ronell

Actor

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Synopsis

Some of today's most-influential thinkers discuss their thoughts.

Director: Astra Taylor
Producer: Bill Imperial, Lea Marin
Screenwriter: Astra Taylor
Distributor: Zeitgeist
Production Co: Sphinx Productions
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 25, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 9, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $120.6K
Runtime: 1h 27m