‘The
unexamined life
is not worth
living.’
Socrates
Lesson Aim

To learn about the Euthyphro Dilemma
The Euthyphro Dilemma


Euthyphro = You-thay-fro
It is appropriate to start our study of the
relationship between religion and morality with
this classic philosophical dilemma
Some Background First
Socrates: a biography





Born 469BCE in Athens, Greece.
No recorded works yet he was one of history’s most
influential philosophers.
We know of Socrates through the writings of his
student Plato.
Often described as rotund and ugly, he was known for
talking to anyone and engaging them in philosophical
debate.
His commitment to philosophy meant that personal
hygiene came second place - he was often barefoot
and dirty and had very few possessions.
The Greek Gods
Zeus:
King of the Gods
Ares:
god of War
Poseidon: God of the sea
Hades:
god of the
Underworld
Apollo:
god of the
Sun and the
Music
Aphrodite: goddess of Love and Beauty
‘The
unexamined life
is not worth
living.’
Socrates
Socrates: a biography
Socrates
aim was not to
tell others the truth
– he often claimed to be
ignorant of it himself –
but rather to help them
dig for it and discover it
for themselves
Socrates and Euthyphro
We
are going to be
learning about a very
famous argument in
moral thinking between
Socrates and
Euthyphro. We know
about it from Plato’s
writing in The Last
Days of Socrates.
Socrates and Euthyphro
It
all kicked off when Socrates asked Euthyphro
what he thought makes something ’good’ (or
‘holy’ or 'pious' - the language they used in
those days).
Why Euthyphro?

Euthyphro was taking his father to court for the
mistreatment of a slave (so he must have been a pretty
devout and moral guy).

Socrates was on trial for the ‘crime’ of stirring up trouble
in the city’s youth – he could face the death penalty for
this.

Socrates was also known not to be a fan of the Greek
gods
Socrates strikes up a
conversation with
Euthphyro



Euthyphro explains that he is acting in a holy
and righteous way
So Socrates then asks the question: 'what is
holy?'
Euthyphro responds “what is agreeable to the
gods....that is holy. What is not agreeable is
unholy”.


Socrates says that the gods seems to be all
over the place! Because they are always
disagreeing surely there can be no universal
'right' or 'wrong'.
Again Euthyphro says “What's holy is what all
the gods approve of, and what's unholy is
what they all disapprove of.”
The Euthyphro Dilemma

Socrates ends the argument by asking
Euthyphro:

‘Are actions ‘good’ simply because the
gods command them or do the gods
command certain actions because they are
already ‘good’?’
The Euthyphro Dilemma

Socrates ends the argument by asking
Euthyphro:

‘Are actions ‘good’ simply because the
gods command them or do the gods
command certain actions because they are
already ‘good’?’
Or to put in another way........

Is torture wrong because God prohibits it, or
does God prohibit torture because it
is already wrong?
Or to put in another way........

Is murder wrong because God prohibits it, or
does God prohibit murder because it
is already wrong?
‘Are actions ‘good’ simply because the gods
command them
or
do the gods command certain actions
because they are already ‘good’?’
1. ‘Are actions ‘good’ simply because the
gods command them
or
2. do the gods command certain actions
because they are already ‘good’?’
1. ‘Are actions ‘good’ simply because the
gods command them
2. do the gods command certain actions
because they are already ‘good’?’
1. Actions are ‘good’ simply because the
gods command them
 This
suggests that the gods can call
anything good!
 They
get to pick and choose
 Remember,
the Greek Gods are pretty
difficult to trust!
 Therefore
humans may not agree with what
the gods decide upon
Divine Command Theory

Divine Command Theory: you should follow all
commands you are given from god(s) without
question.

Euthyphro would have agreed with this:
Actions are ‘good’ simply because the gods
command them

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If the gods decide on that which is good – then
goodness is arbitrary(always subject to the
will of one person)
In theory then, the gods could decide that
adultery is good, that murder is good, all they
have to do is say it and something becomes
good!
Euthyphro’s Problem: Divine
Command Theory

Suppose Euthyphro was hanging about and hears a
godlike voice telling him to kill the next person who
passes him. He is convinced he has heard the voice
of the gods and he has been brought up always to
obey the commands of gods, because they only
command what’s right. Should he kill?

Even if he thinks it is wrong (which he does) the gods
have told him to do it – and whatever they say is right.
"With or without religion,
you would have good
people doing good
things and evil people
doing evil things. But
for good people to do
evil things, that takes
religion."
Richard Dawkins
Discussion
 If
there was such a
thing as god(s) do
you think
he/she/it/they would
command you to do
something which
you knew was
wrong? Why / why
not?
2. The gods command certain actions because
they are already ‘good’?’
•

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If certain actions are already good then even the
gods can't disagree with them
This means even the gods are subject to this higher
law
This means morality is fixed (absolute) by some
standard independent of the gods
This discredits the gods as they are subject to this
higher law themselves
It also means that we don’t need to consult the
gods when making moral decisions

Euthyphro’s dilemma raised the
question of how the gods may be
linked to right and wrong.

Socrates was really asking
Euthyphro if it was wise to always
obey the gods.

He was making the challenge
that morality may not depend
on the will of the gods

This was why Socrates was
eventually put to death by the
authorities!
Socrates: a biography

Socrates was condemned
to death by drinking
hemlock, he refused a
chance to escape and,
surrounded by his friends,
embraced death with
great dignity.

Socrates died in 399BCE,
Athens.
The Death of Socrates, by Jacques-Louis David (1787).
The Christian Response

A Christian may read this dilemma and say: -
“Yes, statement 1 is correct. Something is
good because God commands it. But God is
Himself is perfect goodness – it is his
character . Therefore He would only ever
command us to do that which is good. He
would never ask us to do evil or go against
our consciences”
The Euthyphro Dilemma
Copy the following....

“Are actions ‘good’ simply because the gods
command them or do the gods command
certain actions because they are already
‘good’?”

The Euthyphro Dilemma raises the challenge
that goodness and morality may be
independent of the will of the gods
Copy the following...


The Divine Command Theory (DCT) refers to the
belief that Euthyphro held - that actions are good
because the gods command them. The problem
some people have with this is that followers of a
religion may commit evil acts “in God's name”,
because they believe they are hearing from God.
Christians would respond by saying that this is
impossible as they believe goodness is intrinsic to
who God is. God is goodness himself, God
doesn't pick and choose what goodness is at
random. Therefore he would never ask anyone to
do evil or act in a way that violates their
conscience

Read p73 from the purple book and complete
the questions
Sample Exam Question

(a) Describe the Euthyphro dilemma.
- 3KU
Homework: Create a Mini Poster

Your task is to create a visual aid that
explains the Euthyphro Dilemma and the
issues it raises. Your poster should include:
- The dilemma itself
- The position Euthyphro took
- The position Socrates took
- The implications of each dilemma
- An explanation of the Divine Command
Theory