Did Socrates And Euthyphro Meet Under The Portico Of The Archon

Socrates and Euthyphro meet under the Portico of the Archon-king in Athens. The Archon is the investigator of criminal affairs in matters of religion, the second of nine archons. He inherited religious functions formerly exercised by kings, hence the name of Archon-king.
Why do they meet there? Socrates was accused of impiety, of not believing in the gods of the city, to invent new and corrupting youth. His case falls within its jurisdiction. At the age of seventy years, it has never had to deal with the justice of Athens. Euthyphron and continues his father for murder and his case also falls within the jurisdiction of the archon-king, to the extent that a murder may lead to the entire community a defilement of religious nature. Why Euthyphron
he continues his father's murder?

Socrates is surprised face this son who attack his own father. For a Greek, filial piety is akin to religious piety. The action Euthyphro seems to go against common opinion. This is why Socrates Euthyphro think must be very learned in piety. It is a Socratic dialogue, which illustrate the historical Socrates: research on ethical and political fields; formulate universal definitions: Here example of piety; inductive reasoning from specific proposals arrive at a general proposition; Socrates invokes his ignorance and uses irony to motivate the other person to engage in the dialectic maintenance. One of the best illustrations of the Socratic dialectic, with notions of rebuttal arguments, the ascent to the world of ideas, then back down in concrete terms. The refutation is a mode of very technical argument, proceeding by short questions and answers, which leads the listener to a contradiction. If it takes flagrant self-contradiction offense, the caller may resume research on new foundations .... philosophical thesis traditionally attributed to Socrates, virtue-science: moral virtue is knowledge. If we know what piety, it follows that we will necessarily piles. Knowledge of the nature of piety is a necessary and sufficient condition to conduct themselves in accordance with the essence of piety. It is the same for all the other moral virtues. This is why Socrates attaches so much importance to the definition of virtue. To be virtuous, we must know and one who knows can not act badly. "No one is willfully wicked." Know what virtue is the gain and the desire for knowledge is also a desire to improve, to get better. It is an aporetic dialogue, ending apparently on an aporia, a dead end. Admission of failure for definition of piety. We will see that this judgment can be widely nuanced ... .It contains actually a positive teaching on the nature of piety. Indeed as has Euthyphron is probably a real person.
Euthyphro is a priest, a specialist in religious matters and claiming his highly science. His official role in the city is to examine the merits of the charges as those against Socrates. For a long time it was considered that this soothsayer embodied religious orthodoxy, popular traditional religious beliefs and Plato wanted to show that such a representative was unable to define piety, and thus prevent that Socrates was condemned for impiety. Socrates victim zealots of traditional religion. This thesis has been criticized in the early 20th century and has emerged a very different interpretation that reigned supreme for seventy years: Euthyphro would rather eccentric, fanatic distinguishing clearly the average religiosity of its citizens ... The process that initiates his father aroused the disapproval of his family but also his fellow citizens
.... The issue was reconsidered and finally, the traditional orthodoxy thesis Euthyphro is now rehabilitated. It is a kind of defender of religious orthodoxy. The fear of being tainted by the crime of his father meets the requirements of popular religion. Very orthodox and consistent with popular beliefs. The theme of defilement is indeed very important in Greece ..
The Greek word also means defilement sacrifice that erases defilement. The Atonement is the act that allows the criminal to resume normal activity and its place in the community. It is a purification, a catharsis. Or Euthyphro claims to cleanse the stain with a lawsuit! If he wanted to be faithful to its religious tradition, he should purify and help the purification of his father by religious rites that would allow him to atone for the fault of his family. Now it is a legal document that purports to do. Is a trial a religious or political act? This is the beginning of a major reflection of religion and politics. Socrates also has about him, when he speaks with Euthyphro before the Portico of the Archon-King, Socrates is sixty years old. He is about to appear before the Archon-King, on the eve of his trial which will condemn him to death. Convicted of impiety, it is important for him to sharpen his arguments. So we have a double paradox: Socrates, considered the wisest man in Athens, was sentenced for impiety; A son, religious profession, continues his father for murder .... The two initial questions are: Is the case against Socrates right? Euthyphro that he is against his father right? Lead to new questions: what about the confusion between politics and religion? What is justice? what is piety? Socrates tries to explain to Euthyphro that to meet the two initial issues, it is necessary to define piety. Not describe righteous deeds; but determine what makes these acts are pious. Euthyphro Socrates does not include requirements and is satisfied with a picture of a godly example. He responds with a particular case. He does not leave the field or multiple opinions to achieve the unity of the essence. Dissatisfied with the response Euthyphro, Socrates merely recall the rational requirements. Euthyphron accept criticism of Socrates and proposes a new definition which has this time a general nature. Finally the work of Plato is also an attempt EFINITION philosophy.
philosophy is noted that it is not confused with religion. The philosophy requires personal use of reflection. It carries with it the seeds of diversity and dialogue. The dialogue between philosophers themselves is essential; that is why Plato takes theses of his predecessors. Please use it as a stylistic form that is neither poetry nor prose, but dialogues which speech of others is staged. Plato never speaks in his own name in his texts. This demonstrates that the philosopher invents nothing, he just look what already exists. Equally closely, Socrates condemned anthropomorphism and anthropocentrism of the popular and common conception of religion. For Socrates Divine is not an aspect of the human, not a creation of the human. Being righteous is to recognize the absolutely divine other, recognize him as any other. Variables religious practices are only images of piety, halfway between religion and superstition. If piety is not based on a moral requirement (what Socrates called his famous daimon, voice of the higher consciousness), then it is at best an expression of social conformity, useful to the city, but because unjustifiable based on relative values. At worst, godliness refers only fear or ignorance. The final ascent that demands the dialectic does not seek an intellectual intuition of truth but rather an overview, block. It requires the examination of a final report that of all the scientific truths
about the idea of good. The idea of Good does not add any truth nor absolute certainty. For Plato, it is not enough to be a philosopher, to be smart and clever, as are the sophists; still need to put his knowledge to the service of man.