Euthyphro's Argument

991 Words4 Pages
however if we are to address the question presented to us, of whether or not Socrates made “good arguments”, then perhaps understanding what constitutes a well presented model of the action which we are deliberating is more useful than initially perceived. The notion of piety is one which at one point or another, ceases to reside on the philosophical spectrum as an argument of a purely ontological nature, and begins to necessitate a reevaluation as to its rightful place as a concept that merges into theological discussions, more specifically, the realms of philosophical theism. In his “Euthyphro”, Socrates presents the moral conundrum of what precisely renders something morally correct? This argument is one that has provoked fierce debate,…show more content…
For the purposes of this discussion, I will refer to this concept as intellectualism, for the sake of continuity. The issue that arises from intellectualism is that of independent moral standards, or more specifically, the notion that there are in fact actions that are fundamentally in an of themselves good and bad, wholly independent of God deeming them as so. The problem that arises from this of course, is the issue of sovereignty, and moral objectiveness. If this is true and there are in fact moral standards existing with sovereignty from God, then this perceives that there is something within our universe of which God has no control over; subsequently the entire notion of God as an omnipotent deity comes into question. The counter argument Socrates makes to Euthyphro's proposal deals fundamentally with the definition of…show more content…
In Plato’s “Apology”, he offers his version of Socrates’ speech when he was on trial at the time for crimes of “corruption of the young”. One of the single most crucial statements in “Apology” comes from its opening line, where Socrates asserts states that he does not know if his jury have been convinced by his accusers. This is such a profoundly important statement, as one of the most crucial arguments made by Socrates throughout his speech, is that whatever wisdom he possesses, stems from the knowledge that he knows nothing. Essentially, that philosophical knowledge concurrent with inquiry, all begins with the admission of one’s own personal ignorance. A initial criticism that arises from this argument is the notion that to admit one's ignorance, takes the knowledge that one is ignorant. Therefore, knowing nothing is not a rational probability, as knowing nothing, is knowing something. However the refutation to said criticism is that knowledge stems from a primary source. The source within ourselves that produces knowledge is some form of the truth in some semblance. Meaning that knowledge, and our concept of truth, come from somewhere far beyond human comprehension, much less philosophical inquiry. Therefore, the admission of ignorance is acknowledging that as

More about Euthyphro's Argument

Open Document