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A Special Kind of Knowledge - Self Knowledge
Two related phrases that Socrates is famous for are “know thyself” and “the unexamined life isn’t worth living.” Knowing yourself is no easy feat, and it was a lifelong journey for Socrates. There are, naturally, different ways to interpret this command.
Socrates believed there was a special kind of knowledge that comes about when one learns to “Know herself.” He called this knowledge “techne.” For Socrates, this term encompasses theory and the application of that theory. A good basketball player knows the play book and how to execute the plays. In order to achieve human excellence (or “arête”) one must possess techne.
Examining your life is one of the core components of almost any philosophical system. By examining your life, you gradually learn to know yourself. Think about Socrates’ statement for a second: if you don’t examine your life, it’s not worth living. Now imagine all the people who, in fact, do not examine their lives and do not want to (including very materially-wealthy individuals). Each and every one of these people, Socrates would say, is living a life not worth living. Without knowing yourself and examining yourself you cannot grow, he would say. What do you think of this? Is Socrates full of it here, or does he have a point?
Source: http://www.neo-philosophy.com/Phil101Week5.html