Euthyphro
I read Plato's dialogues and the Euthyphro dialogue really stuck out to me. Euthyphro is all about using his own powers of reason and rejects authority. Euthyphro, interestingly, tells Socrates that his decision to prosecute his father is a pious one - one that would please the gods. He then explains that his father and close relatives are angry with him because of his decision. Euthyphro states, "For, they say, it is impious for a son to prosecute his father for murder. But their ideas of the divine attitude to piety and impiety are wrong, Socrates." Euthyphro disregards the close ties he has to his own father, and furthermore has the egotism to believe that he alone can understand the law and the ways of the gods. He goes so far as to say that his entire family is wrong, and he firmly holds the belief that his father should be punished for his wrongdoing. I believe the reader is made to feel a bit appalled at Euthyphro's self-righteousness, as every word he speaks displays the greatest regard for himself and rather little care for the opinions of others. He states that family has no place in piety, and he reveals himself to be a man full of jumbled laws and empty of any sort of love.
Generally, justice should be the basis of piety, but Euthyphro has no sense of justice to begin with. Socrates questions Euthyphro, asking, “Do not the gods have the same experience, if indeed they are at odds with each other about the just and the unjust, as your argument maintains? Some assert that they wrong one another, while others deny it, but no one among gods or men ventures to say that the wrongdoer must be punished.” Socrates seems to challenge even the gods’ sense of justice, but he is not necessarily wrong. He acknowledges that the gods’ actions often conflict with one another, and they do not serve as an ideal outline for what is just and what is not. However, if justice is necessary before piety can be attained, it must be necessary to have a clear understanding of right and wrong. By modeling his behavior after the gods, who quarrel amongst themselves over who is just and who is not, Euthyphro cannot even be sure that his actions are pleasing to all of them. Therefore, Socrates makes it clear that piety is much more subjective than clearly defined, but Euthyphro continues to cling to his own limited understanding.
The purpose of Plato’s dialogue, to me, seems outline the pitfalls of abiding strictly by the law rather than one’s own sense of morality. Euthyphro is blinded by his own vision of his righteousness, which leaves him unable to truly live a just and pious life. By concerning himself solely with piety and being a self-proclaimed servant of the gods, Euthyphro misses the point of living itself. Additionally, due to a somewhat shaky understanding of the gods, piety, and justice, Euthyphro’s argument has no foundation, and his points move to suit whatever pleases his own sense of piety. It also seems that the entire conversation provides the reader with a firm basis of Socrates’ way of life: he questions those that claim to hold wisdom – to the point of causing them great perturbation, and he does not cease until either he is satisfied with their argument or, as happens in this case, they become annoyed with Socrates’ innate ability to dismantle their flawed way of thinking. The dialogue teaches a lesson on morality but also illustrates just how greatly Socrates’ wisdom challenged the younger Athenians’ sense of pride, something that has gotten the philosopher into enough trouble to be prosecuted himself. I highly recommend reading Plato’s Euthyphro dialogue and I have attached some links to some fun facts about him!
Links:
Summary and Analysis of Plato’s ‘Euthyphro’
Plato, Euthyphro | The Euthyphro Dilemma | Philosophy Core Concepts
(In case the pictures won't load):
Works Cited
Cooper, J. M. (Ed.). (2002). Plato Five Dialogues. (G. M. A. Grube, Trans.) (Second). Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Alexondra Morton-Chaffin
PHIL - 1030 - 004
"the pitfalls of abiding strictly by the law rather than one’s own sense of morality. Euthyphro is blinded by his own vision of his righteousness" -- Euthyphro's vision is legalistic and impersonal, do you mean? A Platonist thinks people like Euthyphro should defer to the higher expertise and insight of those who possess a more "rational" sort of soul or nature, and not trust their own sense of morality. In a Platonic republic, the law would presumably reflect a standard of morality the Philosopher-King rulers had decreed to be objective. But this would seem to be highly anti-democratic. The exchange between Socrates and Euthyphro about the gods and what they find pious or holy indicates a distinction between objective truth and subjective preference, and that is indeed fundamental in philosophy. But in a democratic society it's also necessary to have spirited debate around individuals' different notions of what's objectively true. Doesn't seem like there's much room for that kind of debate in Plato's ideal world. Socrates, on the other hand, seems always ready to talk about everything with everyone
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