Socrates - Definitions of Piety Essay - 942 Words

Socrates - Definitions of Piety During the Periclean age (around 400 B.C.) in Athens Greece there was a man named Socrates. He was considered a very wise man by the Athenians. However there were men in power who did not care for him or his teachings; Claiming that he corrupted the Athenian youth and did not believe in the Greek gods, Socrates was put on trail. On his way to his trial Socrates met a man named Euthyphro, a professional priest who is respected by the authorities (those who want get rid of Socrates). Euthyphro is at the court house to prosecute his father for murder. Socrates finds this to be interesting. If Euthyphro can properly explain why he is prosecuting his father for murder Socrates might have an†¦show more content†¦Socrates says you did not teach me adequately when I asked you what the pious was, but you told me that what you are doing now, prosecuting your father for murder is pious (Plato, 10) Socrates wants to know what piety is through one form (Plato, 10). He does not want to kn ow which things or actions are pious, but rather what piety itself is. One cannot simply define something by giving examples so this definition does not satisfy Socrates. Euthyphro gives Socrates the second definition. He argues what is dear to the gods is pious, what is not is impious (Plato, 11). Therefore piety is determined by the gods. According to this argument this cannot be true because, how can all the gods find everything to be pious when what is just to some gods is unjust to others, and what one god finds beautiful another would not. They have differences in opinions. The gods are in a state of discord, that they are at odds with each other (Plato, 11). They [the gods] consider different things to be just beautiful, ugly, good, and bad. (Plato, 12). This is a good argument in that, the gods would not agree on piety, therefore piety cannot be simply what is dear to the gods. It must be something else. The third definition that Euthyphro states is that The godly and the pious is a part of the just that is the care of the gods, while that concerned with the care of men is the remainingShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Plato s The Euthyphro 1723 Words   |  7 Pagesteacher, Socrates and his most notorious disciple, Aristotle, Plato set the groundworks of Western philosophy and science amid dialogues such as Apology, Euthyphro, Republic and Laws. These dialogues provided some of the earliest handlings of political inquiries from a philosophical viewpoint. 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