Higher RMPS
Lesson 3
The Euthyphro dilemma
Learning intentions
After today’s lesson you will be able to:
• explain the background to the Euthyphro dilemma
• explain the Euthyphro dilemma
• explain the terms ‘absolute’ and ‘relative’ reality.
The background
• Euthyphro was a man who brought his father to court for
killing a slave. Euthyphro was adamant that this action
was wrong and his father should be punished according.
He believed his father’s action was impious or unholy.
• Socrates is a famous philosopher who is believed to
have been responsible for the start of philosophy.
• Socrates wanted Euthyphro to define the terms ‘pious’
and ‘impious’, for which he wanted his father charged.
• Euthyphro defined piety as ‘what is pleasing to the gods’.
But Socrates responded…
with what has become
known as the Euthyphro
dilemma when he said…
Socrates
‘is something pious because it is pleasing to the gods or
is it pleasing to the gods because it is pious?’
In other words…
• Is something good because God says it is good or does
God say it is good because it is good?
For example,
Let’s think about the golden rule:
‘treat others as you would like to be treated’
Many religious people say that it is right
to treat others as you would like to be treated
because God says it is right.
But Socrates would argue…
• Is it right to treat others as you would like to be
treated because God has said it is right?
OR
• Does God say it is right to treat others as you
would like to be treated because it is right?
Familiar???
Have we heard a similar argument somewhere
before?
Does the chicken or the egg come first?
Things to consider…
If it is right because God says it is right, does this
mean that God is just making up rules for everyone to
obey?
If so, is this really a reason to make something right?
Are some things just wrong regardless of what God
commands? (Like David killing a man in the supermarket?)
Can you think of some examples?
Rape
Child abuse
Greed
Always
wrong
Domestic abuse
Remember the divine command theory
There are lots of people who have done things which are
considered bad but have done them because they
genuinely believed that God wanted them to do it and they
believe their God is always right therefore their action
was right.
Can you think of any examples?
Osama Bin Laden
Hitler
Levites
Divine
command
theory
examples
If God says it is right
because it is right, who
decides what is right and
wrong?
Does this mean
that there is someone
higher than God who
decides what is right?
This leads us to think about
absolute morality
• If something is wrong or right no matter what, this is
called an absolute.
• For example, some religious people believe that it is
always wrong to kill (pacifists).
• But lots of religious people fight in wars and some
believe in capital punishment, so what is going on here?
And relative morality …
• Some religious people believe that moral questions
depend on the circumstances, in other words they are
relative to the situation.
• For example, if David had killed the man in the
supermarket and saved the 80 people in the cinema,
many religious people think it would be right to kill a
person on this occasion.
Learning check…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Explain in your own words the background to the Euthyphro
dilemma.
Describe the Euthyphro dilemma.
Explain how you would answer the Euthyphro dilemma.
Explain the term ‘absolute morality’.
Give three examples of things which you think are always
wrong.
Explain the term ‘relative morality’.
Explain how you decide what is right and wrong.
3KU
3KU
4AE
2KU
3KU
2KU
4AE
Quick recap
The Euthyphro dilemma asks:
Is something good because God says it is good or does
God say it is good because it is good?
The Euthyphro dilemma emerged after a conversation
between a man called Euthyphro and Socrates about a
definition of what is holy or pious.
If something is wrong or right no matter what, it is
called an absolute.
If moral questions depend on the circumstances
they are relative to the situation.