Euthyphro's Interpretation Of Piety

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Interpretation of Piety “Euthyphro” an account written by Plato is a dialogue between Euthyphro and Socrates. It is a discussion between the two of them and the subject is “piety”. Socrates asks Euthyphro to define “piety” as Euthyphro claims to have a knowledge of this subject and on Socrates request, he attempts to define it. Socrates does not agree with Euthyphro’s version of piety and keeps pushing him to accurately define it and finally at one point Euthyphro says he is in a hurry and walks away. Socrates is neither agreeing with Euthyphro’s definition nor imposing his own definition but rather as he says in “Apology” -that it is his duty to question people’s claims to knowledge and that is what he seems to be doing (Apology, 21e). Socrates…show more content…
He is prosecuting his own father for murder. Socrates is astonished and says “It is not the part of anyone to do this, but of one who is far advanced in wisdom” (Euthyphro, 4b). Euthyphro agrees with him and proceeds to tell Socrates the reason for prosecuting his own father. Euthyphro tells that the man who was murdered by his father was a dependent of Euthyphro and in a drunken brawl he had killed one of Euthyphro’s household slaves. So Euthyphro’s father bound the killer hand and foot and threw him into a ditch and sent a man to a priest to inquire what should be done in these circumstances. However during that time he paid no attention to the man in the ditch and the bound man dies due to hunger and cold before the messenger is back from the priest. Euthyphro says that whether the victim belongs to your own family or not does not really matter; what matters is whether the man was wrongfully killed (Geach,…show more content…
He asks Euthyphro “you think that your knowledge of the divine, and of piety and impiety, is so accurate that, when those things happened as you say, you have no fear of having acted impiously in bringing your father to trial?”(Euthyphro, 4e). Euthyphro says that he does have such a knowledge. Impressed by Euthyphro’s knowledge Socrates asks to become Euthyphro’s pupil and they get into a discussion about piety. Socrates is in dilemma on the subject and as Euthyphro says he is knowledgeable on the subject he asks Euthyphro for clarification and asks him for a definition of “piety” so he can use that in court for his own

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