Euthyphro: Accusations - corruption of youth, atheism. Euthyphro
is accusing his father of the murder of a slave.
-Gods. Socrates is "a maker of gods, and . . . (he) creates
new gods while not believing in the old gods."
Euthyphro claims that he is doing a pious act by prosecuting
his father. However, Socrates claims that this may be an impious
thing. (Euthyphro is supposed to be an expert in such matters.)
1. What is piety, and what is impiety? Reference
to forms at 5d. Prosecuting someone guilty of a crime is piety, and
not doing so is impiety.
Socratic critique: Euthyphro is not answering the
question in a generic sense, he is simply stating one instance of piety
and impiety; Socrates wants a better definition. Euthyphro's
definition does not give the "form" of piety, no essence. Avoid
the use of examples.
2. Piety is that which is pleasing (dear to) the gods, and
impiety is that which is not dear to them.
Socratic critique: The gods are admitted to having
differences among themselves, so what may be pleasing to some gods may
be displeasing to others. This would imply that one thing may be
both pious and impious at the same time, a contradiction.
3. The pious is what all the gods love (9d) and what they all
hate is impious.
Socratic critique: Are acts right because they are
commanded, or are they commanded because they are right? All that
Euthyphro's definition does is to tell something about the acts - that
the gods approve of them, not that they are pious or impious. Add
divine command theory.
4. Knowledge of how to give to and beg from the gods.
Three tries here: Care of the Gods. - No benefit to them. 2)
Service to the gods; What service? 3) Pleasing to them, Give
to, beg from. 4) no benefit. 15c=circular.
Socratic Critique: What does this have to do with
the care of the gods? If Euthyprho is right, piety would make the
gods better. But Euthyprho agrees that this is wrong. Euthyphro amends
his statement and says that "care" is a service to the gods. The
Socratic analysis in this case is to ask what aim is achieved by serving
the gods. The answer Euthyphro gives is that piety is pleasing to
the gods. But this is the same as what is dear to them = circular.