Mark Pursley
Plato’s Euthyphro
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Purposes: To analyze Piety.
To vindicate Socrates from the charge
of impiety.
To critique the concept of piety found in
traditional Greek theology.
To show that the Socratic practice of
philosophy displays true piety.
What is Piety?
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Def. I: Doing what I
am doing;
prosecuting anyone
guilty of murder,
sacrilege, etc.
whether it’s your
father, mother, or
whoever.
Appeal to divine
precedent.
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Socrates responds: Do
you really believe...?
Moral blindspots in
scriptural texts, a
collision of faith and
reason.
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Def. 1, not a true definition,
gives a particular example
not a universal formula.
Definitions 2 &3
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Piety is that which is
dear to the gods, and
impiety is that which is
not dear to them.
Problem of divine
discord, dear to Zeus,
but not to Chronos.
All the gods agree with
me!
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Religious Epistemology
Problem What proof
have you that in the
opinion of all the
gods....?
Def. 3: What all the
gods hate is impious,
and what they love is
pious or holy.
Problems for Def. 3
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Is the pious loved by the gods because it is
pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the
gods? [A problem for divine command ethics.]
Piety is not equivalent to loved by the gods.
An attribute, but not the essence of piety (the
essence will reveal why the gods love piety).
Aporia, puzzlement. Euthyphro’s arrogance
exposed as ignorance.
Socrates takes the lead:
Justice and Piety compared.
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Relation between
Justice and piety:
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All just acts are
pious or All pious
acts are just?
J
P
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Def. 4: Piety or
holiness is that part
of justice which
attends to the god’s,
as there is the other
part of justice that
attends to men.
Service benefits,
how can we benefit
the gods?
Piety: helping the god’s
achieve their aims.
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It’s the sort of service that servant’s show
their masters.... A sort of ministration
(huperetike) to the gods. A craft or skill that
has an aim.
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What is that fair work which the gods do by
the help of our ministrations?
E: Many and fair are the works they do.
S: Chief or principal thing they use us for?
Definition 5 reduced to def. 3
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Def. 5: Piety or
holiness is learning
how to please the
gods in word and
deed, by prayers
and sacrifices. Such
Piety is the salvation
of families and
states.
Why did you turn aside?
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Prayer= asking the
gods for things;
sacrifice= giving the
gods things. (What can
you give a god?)
Bartering skill?
Tributes of honor and
what pleases them.
Pleasing but not
beneficial?
Plato’s Critique of Greek
Theology
One cannot serve the gods
by offering sacrifices
and requesting favors.
Service is rendered only
by actions that assist
the gods in achieving
their goals. No divine
goals are furthered by
animal slaughter.
How does one serve the
gods?
Two conceptions of Piety
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Ritualistic Religion (prayer and sacrifice
piety). Make the gods happy with your gifts,
secure their help in achieving your goals.
Ethical religion (moral fruit piety). Serve
divine aims by promoting virtuous conduct:
(1) exposing intellectual arrogance by
questioning unexamined assumptions and,
(2) exhorting others to value character over
fame or material gain.
Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Mt.
9.13
Plato’s Apology
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In 399 B.C.E., in Athens, Socrates, aged
70, was brought to trial on the following
charges: Socrates is guilty of refusing
to recognize the gods recognized by the
state, and of introducing other new
divinities. He is also guilty of corrupting
the youth. The penalty demanded is
death.
Apology
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Apologia means
defense. Plato, who
was present at the
trial, offers his
account of Socrates’
attempt to defend
himself against the
charges brought by
Meletus.
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The Athenian
establishment feared
Socrates’ unrelenting
questioning of its
cherished values and
religious beliefs. When
the younger generation
began to admire
Socratic skepticism,
defenders of the status
quo sought his death.
Refutation of the Old Accusers
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Socrates is guilty of
needless curiosity and
meddling interference,
inquiring into things
beneath earth and in
the sky, making the
weaker argument
stronger, and teaching
others to do the same.
(19b)
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Origin of the old charges.
Charephon’s query at the
Delphic Oracle: Is any one
wiser than Socrates? No.
What does the god mean? I
know I am not wise at all.
Testing the oracle by
examining politicians, poets,
and craftsmen. …neither of
us knows anything
worthwhile; but he thinks he
does and does not, and I do
not and do not think I do.
(21d)
Refutation of Meletus
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Socrates is guilty of
corrupting the youth, and of
not acknowledging the gods
the city acknowledges, but
other new divinities.
In other crafts (e.g. horse
training) a few experts
benefit horses while the
majority of horse-riders
harm them. Isn’t this true of
human virtue as well?
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Since corrupting one’s
associates brings harm
to oneself, no one
intentionally does so.
Socrates is not
Anaxagoras. If he
believes in new
divinities he cannot be
an atheist.
The Socratic Mission
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Negative
(therapeutic) task:
To expose false
claims to
knowledge. The
profession of
ignorance. He is
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Positive task:
Exhortations to virtue.
God’s gadfly. Value
wisdom, truth, and
character over wealth,
reputation, and honor.
I go about doing
nothing but persuading
you…to care not for
wisest who knows
body or money …so
his wisdom is worth
much as excellence of
nothing.
soul. (30 a.b)
I believe you have yet to gain a greater good than my
Service to the God.
Socrates on Death
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Fear of death is intellectual arrogance. No
man knows…whether it is not the greatest of
all goods; and yet men fear it as though they
well knew it to be the worst of evils. (29 a,b)
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Death is great gain (either eternal sleep or a
journey to a better realm). The greatest
thing would be to test and question there as I
did here: Who among them is wise?
Death is Good
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Silence of the divine sign. What has fallen to
me is good, and thos who think death is evil
are wrong. For the sign would surely have
opposed me if I were not in some way acting
for good. (40 b,c)
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A good person cannot be harmed. True harm
is injustice in the soul. Bodily harm cannot
injure a virtuous soul.
The unexamined life is not worth living. (38a)