Euthyphro

(Originally written November 16, 2016 in Book 26)

The Trial and Death of Socrates
3rd Edition
Plato
Hackett, 2000

Introduction

Socrates was 70 in 399 BC, the date of his trial and execultion.

- Lived through the Periclean age of Athens at its pinnacle of power
- But saw the Peloponnesian War and the defeat of Athens in 404 BC

Taught philosophy like a street preacher, exposing the ignorance of any self-proclaimed wise men

Euthyphro

This dialogue concerns the nature of piety. It is one of Socrates' searches for the universal definition of an ethical term.

Euthyphro appears to be a professional priest who "considers himself an expert on ritual and on piety generally, and, it seems, is generally so considered" (Plato, 1).

Meletus has indicted Socrates; but, of what, Euthyphro asks: "Strange things". Socrates is a maker of gods (he worships these new gods while neglecting belief in the old ones).

Euthyphro figures Meletus has brought the charge out of envy of Socrates.

Eurthyphro is prosecuting his father for murder. He must do it and distance himself from his father because "the pollution is the same if you knowingly keep company with such a man and do not cleanse yourself and him by bringing him to justice" (Plato, 4).

The notion of bringing one to justice as a way to cleanse the wrong-doer is an interesting one.

Euthyphro has a high view of himself: "I should be of no use, Socrates, and Euthyphro would not be superior to the majority of men, if I did not have accurate knowledge of all such things" (Plato, 5).

All such things: what is pious and what is pious.

Socrates: What is pious?

To prosecute the wrong-doer, whether he is a relative or a stranger is the pious. To not prosecute is impious.

Euthyphro claims his prosecution of his father is pious because Zeus prosecuted his father piously.

Socrates doesn't accept this initial definition because it is just one description of one pious action.

"What is dear to the gods is pious; what is not is impious" (Plato, 7).

Socrates then points out that the gods are, at various times, at war with one another so a thing can be both god-loved and god-hated. Thus, a thing can be both pious and impious.

Socrates points out that Euthyphro's prosecution may be pleasing to Zeus but displeasing to Cronus and Uranus.

Euthyphro agrees to a narrowing definition of piety and its opposite: "the pious is what all the gods love, and the opposite, what all gods hate, is the impious" (Plato, 11).

Euthyphro - "the godly and pious is the part of the just that is concerned with the care of the gods, while that concerned with the care of men is the remaining part of justice" (Plato, 15).