Ethics
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The Concept of Piety/Holiness
Jane Doe
PHI 208 Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Robert Vaughan
November 18, 2013
“Euthyphro,” is a beautifully written dialogue by Plato. The dialogue is a conversation shared between Euthyphro and Socrates. Coincidently both men have legalities to tend to, and happen to cross paths on the porch of the King Archon Courts in Athens. Plato exquisitely balances theories against abstracts through the dialect of both men. He further facilitates the dialect by defining the scopes of piety and justices utilizing reason, religion, and morality. I will explain how the concept of holiness emerges in the dialogue, present the three definitions that Euthyphro explained in response to Socrates question of piety, disclose my point of view of the dialogue, and provide my own definition of piety/holiness.
The concept of holiness emerges after Euthyphro and Socrates exchange the nature of their cases. Socrates is in suit for impiety, and Euthyphro is attempting to bring charges upon his father for murder:
“This is the origin of the charge of murder which Euthyphro brings against his father. Socrates is confident that before he could have undertaken the responsibility of such a prosecution [corrupting the youth, inventing new gods, and failing to believe in the old ones] he must have been perfectly informed of the nature of piety and impiety; and as he is going to be tried for impiety himself, he thinks that he cannot do better than learn of Euthyphro (who will be admitted by everybody, including the judges, to be an unimpeachable authority) what piety is, and what is impiety. What then is piety” (Plato & Jowett, n.d).
Basically, Socrates is shocked to hear Euthyphro’s claims of having knowledge of what is piety and what is not although he has an open willingness to charge his own father with murder. Socrates clearly voices his dismay by saying, “I suppose that the man whom your father murdered was one of your...
Jane Doe
PHI 208 Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Robert Vaughan
November 18, 2013
“Euthyphro,” is a beautifully written dialogue by Plato. The dialogue is a conversation shared between Euthyphro and Socrates. Coincidently both men have legalities to tend to, and happen to cross paths on the porch of the King Archon Courts in Athens. Plato exquisitely balances theories against abstracts through the dialect of both men. He further facilitates the dialect by defining the scopes of piety and justices utilizing reason, religion, and morality. I will explain how the concept of holiness emerges in the dialogue, present the three definitions that Euthyphro explained in response to Socrates question of piety, disclose my point of view of the dialogue, and provide my own definition of piety/holiness.
The concept of holiness emerges after Euthyphro and Socrates exchange the nature of their cases. Socrates is in suit for impiety, and Euthyphro is attempting to bring charges upon his father for murder:
“This is the origin of the charge of murder which Euthyphro brings against his father. Socrates is confident that before he could have undertaken the responsibility of such a prosecution [corrupting the youth, inventing new gods, and failing to believe in the old ones] he must have been perfectly informed of the nature of piety and impiety; and as he is going to be tried for impiety himself, he thinks that he cannot do better than learn of Euthyphro (who will be admitted by everybody, including the judges, to be an unimpeachable authority) what piety is, and what is impiety. What then is piety” (Plato & Jowett, n.d).
Basically, Socrates is shocked to hear Euthyphro’s claims of having knowledge of what is piety and what is not although he has an open willingness to charge his own father with murder. Socrates clearly voices his dismay by saying, “I suppose that the man whom your father murdered was one of your...