The Good And Summary In Plato's Euthyphro And The Republic

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In both the Euthyphro and the Republic, Plato attempts to determine the good and explain its principles by examining definitions and utilizing analogies. The Euthyphro aims at determining the definition of piety through a well debated dialogue between Euthyphro and Socrates. Similarly in the Republic, Plato utilizes three specific analogies to best convey the likeness, the levels, and the journey to reaching the highest good. The sun analogy, the divided line, and the cave analogy all help demonstrate what the good is to Plato and how it relates to human knowledge, wisdom, and reality. 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 …show more content…

In the sun analogy there are two separate worlds: the visible worlds and the world of ideas. He compares the good to the sun in two ways: the sun represents the visible world and the good belongs to the world of ideas. The sun and the good also have correlating parallels, such as in the very same way the sun illuminates things so that man can see, the good illuminates the truth so man can possess understanding. The second similarity is that the sun provides nourishment and allows for things to grow. In a similar way to the sun, the “objects of knowledge owe their being… to the …show more content…

True wisdom for Plato is knowledge of the good and in order to reach that level of enlightenment, all lower levels must first be known. The divided line identifies the states of reality, which work to provide a better understand the good. The cave analogy is the final analogy mentioned in Republic Book VIl, it is where Plato wishes to “compare the effect of education and of the lack of it.” The analogy begins with Socrates setting the scene, he starts by describing humans that have lived underground in a cave for their entire lives and were placed in chains that force them to stare at the same general direction on the opposing wall. There is a fire burning far behind them and it casts a light onto the wall in front of them. Puppeteers present their puppets in front of the fire, which casts a shadow in front of the

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