Euthyphro's Dialogue Analysis

In this section of Euthyphro, a dialogue recounted by Plato, Socrates is urging Euthyphro to define piety. When Euthyphro first explains piety, he names characteristics that exemplify it, but Socrates’ expects a fundamentally sound definition. Euthyphro proposes that “what’s loved by the gods is pious, and what’s not loved by the gods is impious” (Euthyphro, 7a). However, Socrates is not impressed with this definition because it’s ambiguous and dismisses the differences in the gods’ opinions.

Euthyphro was a religious intellectual, so he should’ve been able to define piety. However, Socrates wanted to show Euthyphro that he wasn’t as knowledgeable as he thought. Socrates knew beforehand that Euthyphro wouldn’t be able to give a sound definition, or standard, for what is pious, so this dialogue is a reflection on Euthyphro’s reasoning.

Once Euthyphro gave Socrates his definition of piety, Socrates starts questioning the logic of the definition.

Since there are a plethora of Greek gods, Socrates argues that “a thing that’s god-loved is, it seems, also god-hated” (Euthyphro, 8b) because “the gods quarrel and differ with one another, and there’s mutual hostility among them” (Euthyphro, 7b) even about what’s just or unjust. Socrates gives an example of disagreement between gods to emphasize how Euthyphro’s definition is insufficient: “what you’re [Euthyphro] now doing in prosecuting your father was something pleasing to Zeus but displeasing to Cronus and Uranus… and similarly for any other gods who may differ from one another on the matter” (Euthyphro, 8b). Socrates ultimately berates Euthyphro’s definition of piety and rejects it because it’s inaccurate.

Socrates, who’s indicted for being impious, is leading Euthyphro, the self-proclaimed intellectual, to note that he is not all-knowing and that his definition of piety is flawed and has no fundamental

basis.