Euthyphro, Socrates Euthyphro Discuss Concept Piety/Holiness. This

¶ … Euthyphro, Socrates Euthyphro discuss concept piety/Holiness. This essay test ability recognize engag The concept of holiness is central to the Platonic dialogue that takes place between Euthyphro and Socrates in Euthyphro. This topic is of immense interest to both of the aforementioned participants due to the fact that they are both headed for a legal trial. Socrates has been brought up on trial for charges that he is corrupting the youth; Euthyphro is taking his father to task for the charge of murder.

Socrates is particularly concerned with the latter's trial due to the notion of piety which Euthyphro professes guides him in his work in which he will prosecute his father. Part of the accusations against Socrates involve the fact that he is acting like a "poet" (Plato, 380 B.C.E), meaning, of course, that in his teachings to the youth there is an irreverence in which he disavows current gods or, even worse, is inventing the presence of newer gods to lead young people astray.

Since Euthyphro professes to be extremely knowledgeable about piety and the relationship of this notion with the gods, Socrates is hoping to glean some insight into this field (of which he professes his own ignorance to), in order to use this knowledge to aid in his own defense.

Therefore, the pair engage in a dialogue regarding piety so that Socrates can tell his accuser that he is merely repeating the wisdom regarding holiness that he learned from a young man, and that if there is any problem with it, the information he learned from the teacher should be faulted, not he himself. Of course, it would also help if Socrates could simply use what he has learned from Euthyphro and merely have it sanctioned by his accuser, and get off that way as well.

Euthyphro presents a number of different definitions of piety/holiness, all of which are relatively simple and which are fairly easily refuted by Socrates. The first definition the young man offers is that piety is simply punishing the wicked or those deserving of punishment, and that not punishing them (or attempting to) is the definition of impiety. Socrates was able to refute this definition by exposing it as merely an example of a pious act.

The philosopher then got the young man to concede that there are in all actuality many different examples of acts of piety. Socrates told him that he wanted to know "the general idea that makes all things pious" (Plato, 380 B.C.E.). At which point, the young man offered his second definition of this term, which is the fact that piety is actually simply that which is loved by the gods (or dear), and that impiety is that which they abhor.

Socrates had a fairly easy time of dispelling this particular definition by referring to the notion that the gods were seldom in agreement about things, and actually fought with one another all the time. Therefore, what is loved by one is not loved by another, which meant that Euthyphro's definition was again too narrow and was ultimately defeated.

Lastly, Socrates got his younger "teacher" to confirm a definition in which "what all the gods hate is impious, and what they love pious or holy, and what some of them love and others hate is both or neither" (Plato, 380 B.C.E.).

This amendment to the young man's previous definition is full of holes, which Socrates was able to expose by largely confusing Euthyphro with tautological concepts and examples of whether something is loved because it is loveable or because someone loves it, which is referred to as Euthyphro's dilemma (Koukl, 2002). He stated that Euthyphro third definition merely provided an attribute of piety, and was insufficient. It appears that Socrates' true goal in this dialogue is twofold.

One, he wants to demonstrate the fact that conventional notions of piety and religion are arbitrary, can readily be disproved with simple rhetoric and logical arguments, and actually are no basis for his own personal trial. In this respect he is using the young man and his notions of piety as a precursor to his actual trial in which he will use these arguments, which is his second goal.

He alluded to this fact early in the dialogue by stating that he would use information from his conversation with Euthyphro as a basis for helping him get off his trial. Furthermore, he said if he cannot get his prosecutor to go after the teacher who taught him notions of piety, that he would then use this defense in court. My definition of holiness is an idea or thing which is inviolate and has a religious purpose as such.

In that respect, prayers, churches, and certain rituals have been imbued with a holiness. Soc. Am I to understand that piety is inviolate, and is not to be profaned or desecrated in any sort of way? Me. Yes. Soc. In that case, that which is able to be desecrated or tainted is impious?