Introduction: The assigned reading was in the Euthyphro. The reading is about Socrates and Euthyphro having a discussion of what piety is. In this paper, I will discuss the moral significance of the question that Socrates proposed. And that is “Is the pious being loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is being loved by the gods?”(Prompt). I will start off by giving a brief summary of the reading and then I will move on to the question. In the question I will discuss the moral significance of it and how it affects us in today’s society. Finally, I will end with my conclusion. Summary: In the Euthyphro, Socrates is having a discussion with Euthyphro about the meaning of piety. Instead of giving a definition of the word, Euthyphro gives examples of the word and never quite gave a …show more content…
When Socrates asks Euthyphro to define the word pious he dodges the question and rather gives an explanation of what being pious is. Socrates is trying to figure out if it was a good thing for Euthyphro to turn in his own father. Euthyphro then says that any of the gods won’t care if they (humans) care for them. And with that said that would mean “pious is pious because it’s loved by the gods” (Prompt). It won’t matter if a citizen worships the gods or if they do what is right or wrong; in the end, the gods aren’t affected by it at all. Turning, Euthyphro’s father in is wrong for the reason that the gods don’t care what he did, because it doesn’t affect them. If Euthyphro would have kept the secret about his father, then Euthyphro could’ve protected him and lied for his father because it’s his father. The majority of people would say it was morally wrong to turn in their fathers, because it’s their fathers and they could protect them. If he actually loved him, then he wouldn’t have done that. But since, he did do it, then that would mean that he cares for the law much
In Plato’s work the Euthyphro, his main goal is to come to a solid understanding of the definition of piety. In the dialogue, Euthyphro, a man who is suing
A question that breaks off from that is, “Is the pious being loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is being loved by the gods (10a)?” Without reading Euthyphro, understanding this question would be nearly impossible. I think that the answer requires a lot of thinking. Piety is pious simply because it is a pious thing, not because it is loved. If you take gods out of the scenario, piety is based on societal beliefs, pious actions are done to please ourselves, and we already have the knowledge to make pious things. Socrates was not found guilty of being impious, but he was found guilty for not believing the same way his society did, showing that piety is linked with society, not the
When discussing specific knowledge, it is often hard to pin down an exact definition of what it is you are discussing. Often a concept or word will get thrown around so often that it will begin to be taken for granted and when pressed, a person may struggle to pin down specifically what it is they mean. Realizing this, Socrates often went out and attempted to fix these kinds of problems and find out what people actually knew, compared to what they just thought they knew. In the dialogues Euthyphro and Meno, Socrates attempts to pin down definitions for piety and virtue, respectively. In doing so, we are shown that the thinkers in question struggle to define these terms, and attempt to do so in vague terms that may vary heavily under different circumstances. What Socrates is attempting to find is one definitive definition of piety and virtue, what is called his One Form Requirement. Rather than defining something by classifying different parts that make it up, Socrates maintains the belief that piety and virtue both can be simplified into one specific form that describes exactly what makes all F actions F.
In the Euthyphro, Socrates is making his way into the courthouse; however, prior to entering he had a discussion with a young priest of Athens, Euthyphro. This dialogue relates religion and justice to one another and the manner in which they correlate. Euthyphro feels as though justice necessitates religion and Socrates feels the opposite, religion necessitates justice. Euthyphro claims that religion is everything, justice, habits, traditions, customs, cultures, etc. all are derived from religion. Socrates went on to question what exactly would be the definition of pious. Euthyphro offered Socrates three definitions of pious and in all three Socrates was able to successfully find fault...
Keeping true to Socratic/Platonic methodology, questions are raised in the Euthyphro by conversation; specifically “What is holiness?” After some useless deliberation, the discussion between Socrates and Euthyphro ends inconclusively. Euthyphro varying definitions of piety include “What I do is pious to the gods,” and, “What is pleasing to the gods is pious.” Socrates proves these definitions to be insufficient, which leads us to the Apology.
In the beginning, of the Euthyphro Socrates is getting ready to go to his trial when he runs into Euthyphro at the courthouse. Socrates believes Euthyphro to be a very pious person, so he enlists his help to define piety. In this paper, I will discuss the definitions Euthyphro gives to Socrates of piety. I will further give Socrates response on why those definitions are incorrect.
“It is not living that matters, but living rightly” - Socrates. In Plato’s Euthyphro, Socrates asks Euthyphro what the definition of piety and impiety are, so that he may survive the indictment set upon him by Meletus. Throughout their dialogue Euthyphro concludes that what is pious is what all the gods love and what is impious is what all gods hate, and in response Socrates challenges his claim by asking, “is the [pious] approved by the gods because it’s [pious], or is it [pious] because it’s approved?” Socrates’ question is important because it helps uncover the absurdity in Euthyphro’s logic, the question leads to personal knowledge of our motives, it also leads to richer philosophical inquiry, and it teaches others how to properly agree in a dialogue. In its rigor, the question attempts to figure out what the essence of piety is instead of conforming to the popular belief that the gods decide what is good.
Euthyphro was arguing that by doing what the gods believe is holy and pious you are making them better, in other words you are taking care of them and it is like a kind of service that you are doing towards the gods. Euthyphro said, “The kind of care, Socrates, that slaves take of their masters” which meant that you are taking care of them in the sense that you are making them better and not actually caring for them (17, 13d). In other words, you are helping improve them and this is a service that the gods appreciate and want you to do. He believed that this service is improving the gods and that they like this service. The gods believe that being holy is a service towards them, therefore there should be a reason on why the gods use us and want to reward our holiness. He believes that the gods choose what is holy for a reason and should be approved by
In the Euthyphro, Plato has Socrates, his student, explain the argument that “Holiness” cannot be defined as “whatever (all) the gods love”. Euthyphro is a priest in the story where he is supposed to know a great deal about his preaching. Then through some conversation, Euthyphro expresses that it is holy it is loved by the multiple gods. He claims that “Holy” is loved by the gods because it is “Holy,” and it’s the case that being holy is because the gods love it.
In Euthyphro, Plato writes of the dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro discussing the meaning of piety. Socrates has been charged with impiety, as well as corrupting the youth of Athens, and is on his way to court when he runs into Euthyphro, whom is also on his way to court in order to prosecute his own father for murder. Euthyphro offers definition of what is pious through examples of piety to Socrates, who rejects these, for he’s searching for an objective definition of piety. In this paper, I will argue that despite the dialectic innovation of the Socratic Method, Socrates ignores the influence of human subjectivity in his dialogue with Euthyphro.
In this paper, I am going to show how Socrates rejects Euthyphro’s definition of piety as what is loved by all the gods; I will call it the god-loved, and how Euthyphro fails to give an account of piety.
Amidst a historic recording influenced by an exchange between Greek philosopher Socrates and Instructor of moral Euthyphro, Socrates asks “Is not piety in every action always the same? And impiety, again- is it not always the opposite of piety, and also the same within itself, having, as impiety, one notion which includes whatever is impious?” (Plato,
As it is alluded to in the Euthyphro, the concept of piety is one in which all followers of faith and beyond strive to understand and adhere to the manifestation of. For hundreds of years after this dialogue the question of piety and divine command still alludes the wisest thinkers and holiest of men. Is the pious being loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is being loved by the gods? With only two paths to venture down, both having unpleasant results, this question is still unanswered to most. But the importance of the question remains. To question everything we encounter, to question everything we think we already know, and to “prefer nothing, unless it is true (14e)”. In this essay I will argue that the Gods commanding good actions because they are already good is the
Socrates continuously refers to examples concerning stories related to gods, which he believes to be inconsistent and incredible. Euthyphro draws more and more examples of stories concerning gods, which he believes prove his position as being inspired by gods. Soon Enough Socrates asks Euthyphro to define piety, which he fails to do because he cannot give the definition, which is universally true (Fagan & Russon, 2009). Socrates uncovers that the concept of piety offered by his opponent is incorrect.
The interesting dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro demonstrates this Socratic method of questioning in order to gain a succinct definition of a particular idea, such as piety. Though the two men do not come to a conclusion about the topic in the conversation seen in Euthyphro, they do discover that piety is a form of justice, which is more of a definition than their previous one. Their conversation also helps the reader to decipher what makes a good definition. Whenever Euthyphro attempts to define piety, Socrates seems to have some argument against the idea. Each definition offered, therefore, becomes more succinct and comes closer to the actual concept of piety, rather than just giving an example or characteristic of it. To be able to distinguish between a good definition and a bad one is the first step to defining what Socrates so desperately wished to define: w...