Plato and Piety
Euthyphro- Plato: Defining Socrates in your own words.
Socrates during a session…..
Untia Daun Bigelow
PHI 208 Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Patricia Addeso
October 21, 2013
It seems that in the reading both Socrates and Euthyphro are both dealing with legal issues and they are discussing the differences and the similarities of their cases with one another. Socrates is a defendant in a suit accusing him of impiety which was brought against him by no other than Meletus who was not really in a position to bring suit against another but that’s another story all together. And then we look at Euthyphro who is a plaintiff in a murder action in which he brought against his own father. It seems that Socrates being of sound mind thought he should lend his ear to this young man who was very knowledgeable to help him come to the conclusion of what his crime truly was. He felt that he should be perfectly informed about the differences between piety and impiety before being tried for what he was not sure was a binding action against him. The first definition that Euthyphro gives is that piety is what is dear to the gods and impiety is what is not dear them. Socrates states that even if this was the fact could this really be a form of piety when discussing the case brought against Euthypro’s father he said looking at the evidence at hand could his father really be deemed a murder because he didn’t show piety. And then he asked the question what do you deem to be justice because what is justice for one could be ones punishment in another’s eyes.
The second definition Piety is what is loved by the gods a redefined distinction between state and the act corresponding respectively to the adjective and the participle. Which Socrates states that piety and holiness is preceded by the act of being pious, not by the act of love.
The third and final definition is that Piety is a form of justice. Socrates has during this time placed religion on a moral foundation. He
Socrates during a session…..
Untia Daun Bigelow
PHI 208 Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Patricia Addeso
October 21, 2013
It seems that in the reading both Socrates and Euthyphro are both dealing with legal issues and they are discussing the differences and the similarities of their cases with one another. Socrates is a defendant in a suit accusing him of impiety which was brought against him by no other than Meletus who was not really in a position to bring suit against another but that’s another story all together. And then we look at Euthyphro who is a plaintiff in a murder action in which he brought against his own father. It seems that Socrates being of sound mind thought he should lend his ear to this young man who was very knowledgeable to help him come to the conclusion of what his crime truly was. He felt that he should be perfectly informed about the differences between piety and impiety before being tried for what he was not sure was a binding action against him. The first definition that Euthyphro gives is that piety is what is dear to the gods and impiety is what is not dear them. Socrates states that even if this was the fact could this really be a form of piety when discussing the case brought against Euthypro’s father he said looking at the evidence at hand could his father really be deemed a murder because he didn’t show piety. And then he asked the question what do you deem to be justice because what is justice for one could be ones punishment in another’s eyes.
The second definition Piety is what is loved by the gods a redefined distinction between state and the act corresponding respectively to the adjective and the participle. Which Socrates states that piety and holiness is preceded by the act of being pious, not by the act of love.
The third and final definition is that Piety is a form of justice. Socrates has during this time placed religion on a moral foundation. He