Socrates and Euthyphro.

The Euthyphro Name Institution Professor Course Date The Euthyphro The Euthyphro, an early Plato`s dialogue reflects the Socratic views on the issue of how to define justice and piety. Euthyphro defends the Homeric religion: the gods set practical standards for humans even when they are immoral and the civil values of the democratic order. On the other hand, Socrates supports piety as a unitary and universal concept CITATION Pla01 \l 1033 (Plato & Jones, 2001). Euthyphro and Socrates are in disagreement about what is the meaning of piety. Euthyphro in his first attempt tries to explain what piety is by giving examples of what constitutes piety. Socrates is not contented with this because it is not possible to describe what something is by noting examples. Euthyphro prosecutes his father for manslaughter, an act that Socrates finds as against the norm. Socrates holds that it is unusual for a person to prosecute his father regardless of what he might have done. Socrates is very much interested to know why Euthyphro has gone to such extent of prosecuting his own father. Euthyphro responds to Socrates by explaining that he prosecutes his father for manslaughter. The death of one of the hired servants was caused by an act of negligence. Socrates goes head to point that it is against accepted beliefs to bring disgrace against one`s father something Euthyphro dismisses. According to Euthyphro, it makes no difference that a wrongdoer is, whether it is your father or not, it is wrong to harbor a manslayer. It is also against the gods to associate with a manslayer without cleansing oneself and the manslayer CITATION Jow05 \l 1033 (Jowett & George, 2005). The above response by Euthyphro shows that he does not think deeply about the meaning of holiness. Piety, as shown by Euthyphro regards only that which please the gods. Anything else that does not please the gods is impious. The discussion between Euthyphro and Socrates rotates around the meaning of holiness. There does not emerge a clear definition of holiness. Does religion shape holiness? It appears as if the interpretation of holiness depends on several beliefs: beliefs about what the gods feels is acceptable and pleases them CITATION Rac05 \l 1033 (Kamtekar, 2005). Socrates uses an ironic appeal to Euthyphro`s vanity to steer their conversation in a more broad form of a topic. However, Euthyphro is an expert in the field of religion and always find the way out in what seems to be a dilemma to Socrates-the prosecution of Euthyphro`s real father. Socrates even goes further to acknowledge that he is challenged by the doctrines of religion and decides to be Euthyphro`s student. The act of prosecuting his father, according to Euthyphro, is religious. He is torn in between h...