What Is Euthyphro's Dilemma

In Plato 's Euthyphro, Socrates and Euthyphro discuss the nature of piety. Euthyphro first proposed that piety is that which the gods love. His proposal was quickly objected by Socrates though, since the gods often disputed amongst themselves and therefore what one loves can be what another hates. Euthyphro then revised his hypothesis to say that piety is that which the gods love unanimously and for the moment this was their conclusion. This definition however, that piety is what the gods love unanimously, further proposed the question of whether the gods love the pious because it is pious or whether the pious is pious solely because the gods love it. If it is true that the gods love the pious because it is pious then the definition of

Socrates helps Euthyphro to give meaning to the word ‘piety ', and this serves to bring a new meaning to the respect to the divine beings and help in the explanation of the whole context of the divinity in the society. In this manner, there is the need to create a clear definition and help Euthyphro in getting ideas that he can use to teach Socrates to answer the resulting question about the piety. This is to enable Socrates to have a string defense against the charge of impiety and help in tackling the challenges that he faces in the society. The story and the relationship between Socrates and Euthyphro arise when Socrates is called to court to answer to the charges of impiety by Meletus, (Plato et al, 1927). In the courts, Socrates meets Euthyphro, who comes to the courts to prosecute his father who is a murderer.

Socrates is brought to trail before the citizens of Athens, accused of not recognizing the gods that are recognized by the state. Euthyphro is brought to prosecute his father for murder. Before the trails, they discuss the definition of piety and what the difference is to impiety. Instead of a straight forward answer Euthyphro explains his position on prosecuting his father. Although his father murdered a murderer that fact that Euthyphro knew what his father had done. It would have impious of him to sit back and pretend his father was innocent of such a thing. Euthyphro also discusses the relation to Zeus castrating Cronos for devouring his children. Providing a point that no matter who you are, he who is unjust must get punished. As Socrates finds it difficult to believe such stories his finds himself questioning wether to believe or not. Socrates is in search of a direction definition as to what exactly is piety.

Does morality stem from God? Or does it exist independently of his presence, not subject to arbitrary decisions? The first discussion over these questions appeared in Plato's Euthyphro, in which Plato chronicles the proceedings of a highly repetitive argument between Socrates and Euthyphro, a prophet and holy man, over the nature of piety and holiness. The questions produced in this dialogue have been expanded to remain relevant even in a modern religious context. It has achieved so much fame that the core question presented in this dialogue is now known as the Euthyphro Dilemma. In the dialogue, Socrates presents Euthyphro with a choice, "Is what is holy loved by the gods because it is holy, or is it holy because it is

The origin of Euthyphro’s Dilemma began with a discussion between Socrates and Euthyphro, Socrates wanted to learn the nature of piety in order to tell the court his action of corrupting the young with impiety was wrong and had come to a realization. With Socrates many lines of questioning for Euthyphro, one specific question lead to the creation of Euthyphro’s argument, known as Euthyphro’s dilemma, an argument that refuses the Divine Command Theory. To better understand Euthyphro’s argument, I will present the similarity between Euthyphro’s Dilemma and the Divine Command Theory, along with the two types of DCT and lastly, explain the version I believe is the most plausible.

Euthyphro's dilemma is presented during the conversation about the nature of piety between Socrates and Euthyphro which was composed by Plato, a student of Socrates. Socrates uses the Socratic method to push Euthyphro to keep coming up with definitions of what piety is. The conversation starts when Socrates asks Euthyphro why he is prosecuting his own father. Euthyphro answers this question by arguing that piety is,"prosecuting anyone who is guilty of murder, sacrilege, or of any other similar crime" (p.10). Euthyphro sees himself as an example of piety because he is punishing wrongdoers. However, Socrates is not satisfied with this definition because it is only one example of what piety is. This leads Socrates to keep questioning Euthyphro

The question that arises as Euthyphro encounters Socrates at the court of Athens is that of piety. Socrates questions Euthyphro by asking “Is it pious being loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is being loved by the gods?” (Euthyphro, 10a2). This question comes about through the discussion between Socrates and Euthyphro in regards to the prosecution of Euthyphro’s father due to a crime he committed. This discussion ultimately ends in the departure of Euthyphro due to not being able to come up with a definition that satisfied Socrates.

Since, Socrates felt sure that the people of Athenian in general did not understand the true nature of piety or impiety. Euthyphro claims to know all that needs to be known about what is holy. So, Euthyphro decided to help Socrates learn about what holiness is, to help him

Euthyphro, one of the many dialogues written by the Greek philosopher Plato documenting the quest for wisdom by his mentor, Socrates. The time that The Euthyphro takes place is preceding a trial that Socrates is in concerning some allegations that he was corrupting the youth of Athens, and ultimately leads to his demise. But it is a very important dialogue due to how it shows the methods Socrates used to try to gain wisdom, and gives some insight on his and or Plato's view on holiness altogether. In all, the Euthyphro is a display of how the Socratic method of obtaining wisdom works and it enters into what Socrates and Plato define holiness as.

After Euthyphro proclaims himself an expert in piety, which also serves as his justification for prosecuting his father, Socrates concurs that piety is of the utmost importance. Socrates claims that if Euthyphro could educate him on what is considered pious, then he could adequately defend himself in his trial that, at least in part, is based on religious

The dialogue Euthyphro, written by Plato, has many functions. The rational discussion urges us to question the ultimate problems of the human existence; to examine human life. The conversation between Socrates and Euthyphro, begs the question: are we to follow what society tells us is right or “pious”? Can Euthyphro bring his father to justice for an evil deed without fear of he himself committing an impious deed? Can we show proper respect to the gods with pious acts because it is what the gods love? Socrates argues that independence, from both the gods and a society that conforms ethics to religion, is the right path. He also argues that a traditional life dedicated to the gods may eventually result in impious behavior. The dialogue is much like a parable or a fable; a simple story used to

The first two theses of the Euthyphro dilemma are, “Things are good because God loves them” and “God loves things because they are good.” I think these are two completely different things. Someone, who is religious, might think that things are good because God loves them and because God loves something or someone, it is good. Basically, things are the way they are because God loves them. The other theses makes more sense to me. It makes sense that God loves a thing or someone because it is good or they are good/do good things. It means that the thing or person is already good and because so, they are being loved by God. I myself am not a religious person, but the second thesis of the two makes more sense. It reminds me of karma in a way.

The Euthyphro dilemma is the question if Gods’ commands are moral because they are inherently good or because the commands are divinely commanded and are moral. (Cook 99) If people are following the commands of religion without the internal reflection of its rationality as it pertains to ethical and moral justice, then one could perform acts that defy “rational morality” because of their faith. (Cook 99) On the other side, one that rejects religious faith and goes fully off their own moral compass has the problem of that there is no baseline for them to align their moral compass. For example, on a ship, there are multiple compasses that can each check against each other to determine error and accuracy for corrections. When there is a single compass if it goes off course then the ship will also become off course. So the overall dilemma is determining the right amount of religion in ethics to prevent either extreme from happening.

Socrates was a moral philosopher who was accused of impiety and was about to be tried for a crime, the nature of which no one seemed to understand. The trial and death of Socrates has four dialogs known as the Euthyphro, the Apology, the Crito, and the Phaedo which describes the process of Socrates’ controversial and insightful trial that raises the questions about human morality. Within the story we learned that the relationship between morality and religion might not be as clear-cut as some might think, Socrates forces the witnesses of his trial as well as ourselves to come to conclusions which result in a paradox that conflicts with the individual beliefs of his audience. In the event in which, Socrates poses a question to himself and Euthyphro, an attempt to answer the question "What is piety?" It has a specific tie to the events in “The Trial and Death of Socrates”, for Socrates had been accused of impiety and was about to be tried for the crime of heresy. The Euthyphro dialogue was written twenty-four centuries ago, and its conclusion is devastating for the whole idea that holiness and morality are very well connected. The idea that, “if God does not make something good by commanding it, but rather instead identifies that which is good, what measurement of morality does he use to make this judgment?” If something is right because god commands it, then it follows that something would be just as right if God instructed differently. If god declares that it is right to

Euthyphro’s belief in pious is as he defines, “is what all the gods love, while impious is what all the gods hate”. Socrates, upon the discussion of Euthyphro’s belief, thinks it best to examine Euthyphro’s argument to discover its true meaning. Socrates begins a breakdown of Euthyprho’s definition of pious; to better understand the deeper and the true meaning of piety.