Socrates and Plato
The Origin of Philosophy
Origin of Western Philosophy
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Religion and Mythology
Greek City-States
Athenian Democracy
Thales (640-546 BC)
Materialists
Reason and Metaphysics
Socrates and Plato
• 470-399 BC
• Primarily concerned
with ethical questions
• Socratic Method
• Did not write any
philosophical texts
• 427-347 BC
• Socrates’ student
• Documented Socrates’
life and philosophy
• Developed his own
philosophical ideas
Approaching the Euthyphro:
Providing a philosophical context
Socrates and Euthyphro
• Setting: Outside the courthouse.
• Socrates is being indicted for corrupting the
youth, inventing new gods, and not believing
in the gods of the city.
• Euthyphro is prosecuting his own father for
murder.
Ethical Questions:
Conflicting Duties
• In determining whether to prosecute,
Euthyphro says, “one should only ask
whether the killer acted justly or not.”
• One’s duty is to justice above family.
• Antigone and conflicting duties.
• What do you think?
The Search for Piety
• Socrates says only a person “ far advanced in
wisdom” would prosecute his own father.
• Euthyphro claims to have knowledge of piety.
• Such knowledge would help Socrates in court.
• Socrates desires to be Euthyphro’s “pupil.”
What is the form of piety?
• Socrates asks, “what kind of
thing do you say that godliness
and ungodliness are, both as
regards murder and other
things; or is the pious not the
same and alike in every action,
and the impious the opposite of
all that is pious and like itself,
and everything that is to be
impious presents us with one
form or appearance in so far as
it is impious?”
Piety
First Definition
Euthyphro
Socrates
• “What I am doing now,
to prosecute the wrong
doer.”
• Euthyphro is following
the example of Zeus,
who bound his own
father for unjustly
swallowing his own
sons.
• “I did not bid you to tell
me one or two of the
many pious actions, but
the form itself.”
• Socrates is suspicious of
Euthyphro’s views of
the gods.
• Do the gods fight?
Second Definition
Euthyphro
• “What is dear to the
gods is pious, what is
not is impious.”
Socrates
• Gods have different
views about what is
pious and impious.
“The same things then are loved by the gods and
hated by the gods . . . And
the same things would be both pious and impious.”
Third Definition
Euthyphro
• “The pious is what all the
gods love and the
opposite, what all the gods
hate, is impious.”
Socrates
• “Is the pious loved by the
gods because it is pious, or is
it pious because it is loved
by the gods?”
The Third Definition:
Problems
• If the gods love the pious because it is
pious, then we have not determined what
makes it pious.
• If the pious is pious because it is loved by
the gods, then piety depends on the will of
the gods.
• Do the gods create morality? If so, then
morality seems to have no fixed standards.
Religion and Morality
• Debate in Medieval Philosophy
• Voluntarism: Moral standards are created by
God’s will.
• God is not limited by morality.
• Is morality dependent upon religion?
• What do you think?
The Dialogue Continues
Socrates
• “Now, if you will, do
not hide things from
me, but tell me from
the beginning what
piety is.”
Euthyphro
• “I have no way of
telling you what I have
in mind, for whatever
proposition we put
forward goes around
and refuses to stay
put.”
Piety and Justice
• Socrates asks whether
piety is simply a part
of justice, or is
identical with justice.
• Euthyphro claims
piety is the part of
justice “concerned
with the care of the
gods.”
And so we return . . .
Socrates
Is caring for gods the same
as improving?
Is service some sort of
trading between gods
and men?
But what makes piety
pleasing to the gods?
Euthyphro
No. The gods are not
improved by us.
Perhaps. But it is to do
things that please the
gods.
Time to go.
What do you think?
?
• Is there an answer that
would satisfy Socrates?
• If not, what is the purpose
of questioning?
• Does Socrates believe
Euthyphro is wise?
• How do you feel about
Socrates? Explain.