Dilemma in Euthyphro

Dr. Mohammad Ashraf Adeel

Intro to Philosophy 030 030

Throughout the long conversations Socrates and Euthyphro had, there were many ideas shared between the two that us humans today could benefit from thinking about. At first, when Euthyphro noticed Socrates, he thought Socrates was pressing charges against someone else. Socrates politely corrected Euthyphro by stating he was the one having charges pressed against. The charges were being pressed by Meletus for conducting impious behavior, he claimed Socrates was corrupting the youth of Athens by being open on ideas that some saw as disdainful towards the gods they all loved. In attempts to connect and assist Socrates, Euthyphro explains that he is currently trying to put his father on trial for impious behavior, this behavior being murder. Euthyphro then explains that even if it’s seen as impious to prosecute a member of his own family, he sees his acts as pious instead. Socrates was amazed in the knowledge Euthyphro was displaying of piety and impiety, and requests for Euthyphro to teach him the nature of the both in hopes of helping his trial.

In all of their conversation, many individual definitions and examples of piety and impiety were covered, but Socrates was somewhat dissatisfied with the many definitions Euthyphro fought for. Euthyphro made many points that backtracked on what he was previously saying, so Socrates wanted to help conclude with a believable definition. Before they could, Euthyphro left Socrates and now, overtime, people have found a few main points of what is actually piety and impiety. In today’s world, both piety and impiety are seen as independent by a God's power. This definition was evoked from the conversation Euthyphro and Socrates had by much discussion and time. What this means is that it is based on a god's whim about what is pious or impious.