In the reading Euthyphro, it is an argument between Euthyphro (the priest) and Socrates (who is being indicted by another man). This reading is a dialogue between the two men arguing on the same topic, even though they each gave examples, they still can’t figure out the answer but going “around and around” with the original question. Since Euthyphro and Socrates gave a lot of examples during the argument, I was really confused when reading it. I couldn’t organize my thoughts on the reading. However with the example of Euthyphro persecuting his own father for “murdering” a drunk murder, I start to have an idea of what they are arguing about, in my opinion, it is a question with no right answer for. No matter which answer was given, the result…
In Plato’s Euthyphro, Socrates questions Euthyphro, a religious expert, who he runs into outside of a courthouse in Athens. Socrates was being indicted on the charges of corrupting the youth, and Euthyphro was prosecuting his own father for murder. Socrates was bewildered as to why Euthyphro would indict his own blood of a crime. In an attempt to explain to Socrates why it was the right thing to do, Euthyphro proclaims that he is acting piously by taking his father to court. Euthyphro adds that his relatives are mad at him because “it is impious for a son to prosecute his father for murder. But their ideas of the divine attitude to piety and impiety are wrong” (4e). Because of this, Socrates enquires about what Euthyphro believes piety truly is, to which he provides his four definitions that Socrates ultimately disagrees with.…
Socrates who was he? “Socrates was a Greek philosopher. Socrates was born c. 470/469 B.C., in Athens”. (Wiki) In Phaedo, I understand that Socrates he has arguments that demonstrate that the soul is immortal. “If we live on after bodily death, there is no reason to fear it.” (Phaedo) However, these ideas are attributed to Socrates in Phaedo. Of course we have no way of knowing if he feared death or not. He appeared not to fear death but who knows. You hear people say all the time, "I have no fear of death"--I've even thought that to myself-- but there's no way they or myself can know that until the last few minutes of life. I think that virtually everyone will fear death at…
A man will guess where his morals come from. What is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad. Some may say these are acquired, but then why would every civilization to ever come about have similar morales? “For example, some people wrote to me saying, ‘Isn’t what you call the Moral Law simply our herd instinct and hasn’t it been developed just like all our other instincts?’ (Lewis 19) The book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis goes into great depth into what morals are. The book covers many topics that apply to all sojourners traveling through life. Mere Christianity really opens your eyes and helps you compare the analogies to your own life. In reading the book one can muse about the meaning of life which is bigger than the…
This quote is significant because it exemplifies the way Socrates uses HIS method. Socrates uses metaphors in order to humbly enlighten his audience. At times Socrates structure of explanation is perceived to be complex and or difficult to interpret. To simplify what he is attempting to get across usually takes a thorough examination. Socrates is from ancient times and his methodology still suits fit to modern day. Analyzing the context of his circumstances before death alone goes to show the depth of understanding one needs to comprehend his ideology and beliefs. This quote also provides us with the notion of not being selfish and to avoid pretentious. When one thinks about death or the chance of dying when they’re in a predicament because…
Socrates rises the dilemma about what pious is and do the gods love something because it is pious, or is something pious because the gods love it? Socrates and Euthyphro both agree that surely the gods love the pious because it is the pious. But than Socrates argues that we are forced to reject the second option: the fact that the gods love (something) cannot explain why the pious is the pious. This is because, if both options were true, they would go in circles with the gods loving the pious because it is the pious, and the pious being the pious because the gods love it. And this in turn means, Socrates argues, that the pious is not the same as the god-beloved, because what makes the pious the pious is not what makes the god-beloved the god-beloved. After all, what makes the god-beloved the god-beloved is the fact that the gods love it, whereas what makes the pious the pious is something else. Thus Euthyphro's theory does not give us the very nature of the pious.…
In this paper, I will evaluate Socrates’ argument from Phaedo for why philosophers should desire death, perhaps only secondly to wisdom. I will argue that Socrates unfairly characterizes the truthfulness of the senses, and therefore projects a pessimistic view of the philosopher’s virtue during life. This pessimism towards life in conjunction with arguments for an afterlife that liberates reason, seems to suggest that Socrates believes philosophers should desire death: a happy prospect for condemned man, but perhaps a biased one.…
Another good Socrates valued was love. Some people say that Socrates was not a lover as he did not love his children. In ‘The Trial and Death of Socrates’ it is evident that he leaves his children behind and even asks the jurymen to test his own children when they grow up. It seems cruel to leave behind his children and even have them tested. To the majority, it seems that Socrates do not love. However, this is not true. Socrates has a different idea of love compared to the majority’s idea of love. Majority thinks that caring and being there for one another is love, but that kind of love dies out with death. According to Diotima in the ‘Symposium’ love is the appreciation of beauty. Socrates wanted to give this Diotima’s love to his children…
The idea of piety – being holy or religious – began in Euthyphro. In this dialogue, Socrates is asking Euthyphro to define what it means to be holy or religious. However, they keep going back and forth with this idea, as Socrates questions Euthyphro each time he comes up with a new definition. For instance, when initially trying to define it Euthyphro states that him fighting against his father on a murder charge is a pious act. However, Socrates rejects that idea on the grounds that it is an example, and not a legitimate definition of piety. In the next example, Euthyphro gives a slightly better definition, in which he states that piety is what appeases the Gods. While Socrates initially likes this definition better, since it isn’t an example,…
“The most intriguing people you will encounter in this life are the people who had insights about you, that you didn't know about yourself” (Alder). This quote can be used to show why the great Greek philosopher, Socrates is deemed as being so intriguing. During his time, Socrates was seen as a great threat because he tended to break free from the normal way of thinking and inevitably, people became afraid of him. Socrates was eventually put to death on account of “corrupting the youth” and being an “atheist,” which were false claims against him to cover up the fact that his accusers simply didn’t like him or his ways. When reading Plato’s Republic, Socrates is shown as being very intriguing because of: his humble ways, his Socratic method,…
Take the current society into consideration; the world has always taken part in unethical actions but lately riots, shootings, increase in addictions specifically focusing on alcohol and drugs. All of these acts are clearly not exactly what a person would consider ethical or an act representing piety. It is impossible to see a god approving the act of killing an innocent bystander if anything, the gods would consider this society to be following acts showcasing the definition of impiety. With this society having so much negativity present within it, it may appear to be a challenge to focus on living a positive life or completing acts of piety, which can cause a person to struggle with living an ethical life. It is possible that due to the time period this was written it is considered more of an issue that Euthyphro is prosecuting against his father due to the fact they are family but in this society it is easy to see that some people are less family oriented and if a person prosecuted against their father today, which happens quite often due to the frequent impious acts in the world today that the action wouldn’t even be as much of a shock to someone like it was to Socrates. Also, if a person values their religion for example, then they may still focus on the second definition of what piety is considered to be “Piety is dear to the gods and…
Virtue, rather than being a teachable piece of knowledge, seems to be an innate understanding. Every person in the world, save perhaps psychopaths and sociopaths, naturally has a strong moral compass. An example that proves this idea is the innocence of children. I have never witnessed a child perform an action with solely malicious intent. Children always have some outside motivation for any hateful actions they perform, so they never do it only to hurt someone. At this point you might think that, yes, children do not do anything with only malicious purposes, but the fact remains that they continue to perform such actions. This is true, but honestly, how have children learned to do such hateful things? No child would consider cursing at anyone if they were angry, but since they observe others performing these actions, the children begin to develop the idea in their minds that doing so must relieve their suffering. It seems, then, that humans learn harmful…
Morals mark actions as good or evil but the genesis of these morals is an enigma. Some credit God with establishing the morals that must be…
Socrates an ancient Greek philosopher who arguably set a philosophical president for all modern western theories, though he lived in ___________. Today in the 21st century his trial is still studied and debated. Some belief the trial justified and the Athenians were correct in his prosecution. However, large populations argue that the trial was unjust and Athenians used Socrates as a scapegoat for the troubles that the Athena democracy was facing during that time. Three men brought the charges laid against Socrates. Metetus, a wildly religious man, Anytus, a wealthy business owner and Lycon who was largely unknown and likely only there to fill the Athenian political requirements, there brought fourth two charges, impiety and the corruption of the youth. A…
Morality, then, seems to be concerned with three things. First, with fair play and harmony between individuals. Second, with what might be called tidying up or harmonizing the things inside each individual. Third, with the general purpose of human life as a whole: what man was made for: what course the whole fleet ought to be one: what tune the conductor of the band wants it to play…