Socrates - Definitions of Piety
During the Periclean age (around 400 B.C.) in Athens Greece there was a
man named Socrates. He was considered a very wise man by the Athenians. However
there were men in power who did not care for him or his teachings; Claiming that
he corrupted the Athenian youth and did not believe in the Greek gods, Socrates
was put on trail. On his way to his trial Socrates met a man named Euthyphro, a
professional priest who is respected by the "authorities" (those who want get
rid of Socrates). Euthyphro is at the court house to prosecute his father for
murder. Socrates finds this to be interesting. If Euthyphro can properly explain
why he is prosecuting his father for murder Socrates might have an understanding
of piety. This would help Socrates to defend himself, for the prosecutors know
and think highly of Euthyphro. Socrates could then draw parallels between
himself and Euthyphro, who the citizens' highly respect, thus bringing him
respect, and freedom. This is where Socrates begins his dialogue with Euthyphro
seeking the definition of piety. Socrates wants Euthyphro to teach him the
meaning of piety since Euthyphro considers himself an authority on the subject.
In this dialogue Euthyphro gives Socrates four different definitions of what he
believes piety is, none of which prove satisfactory to Socrates, leaving the
question unanswered in the end.
The first definition that Euthyphro provides to Socrates is that "the
...
Socrates insistence on finding the truly wise people pitches him against Euthyphro and Meletus. Euthyphro is religious by all means necessary. He even makes prophecies and has a firm claim on the fact that he is wise. He brings a murder charge against his father. On the other hand, Meletus is the man responsible fro bringing charges against Socrates with an aim of having him executed. Meletus, having been cross-examined by Socrates, is put to utmost shame for his lack of a firm grip on facts that are required of him (Desjardins 33). When questioning Euthyphro, Socrates makes an effort to truly find out from this religious man what holiness is. After engaging him for a while, Euthyphro is frustrated and leaves the conversation an angry man. This way of throwing doubt on someone’s beliefs is what Socrates’ signature way of argument became.
The first charge made against Socrates was that he argued the physical over the metaphysical. This charge says that he believed in reason and science over the teachings of the gods. This alleged crime helped form the basis for the hatred and distrust the Athenians felt toward Socrates. Socrates’ accusers claimed, “Socrates is an evil-doer and a curious person, who searches into things under the earth and in the heavens”.
... of that era. He saw that all can be corrupted by power and that no group for that reason should be better than another.
Plato's Socratic dialog Euthyphro is in many ways archetypal of the sort of philosophy that Socrates is thought to have been interested in. In it (as in most classic 'Socratic dialogs'), Socrates seeks out a person who claims to have a certain sort of knowledge. He then proceeds to show that these experts do not possess this knowledge by getting them to contradict themselves. With this in mind, I will discuss the three definitions of the word 'pious' that the character Euthyphro gives to Socrates, and Socrates' problems with each of these definitions.
Socrates was wise men, who question everything, he was found to be the wise man in Athens by the oracle. Although he was consider of being the wises man alive in those days, Socrates never consider himself wise, therefore he question everything in order to learned more. Socrates lived a poor life, he used to go to the markets and preach in Athens he never harm anyone, or disobey any of the laws in Athens, yet he was found guilty of all charges and sentence to die.
...ny, it follows that by Socrates indicting Euthyphro is his teacher, portrays an aspect of Socratic irony. By same reasoning as the aforementioned Socratic irony, it is immensely effective.
Socrates was indicted to a court of law on the charges of impiety, and the corruption of the youth of Athens. Three different men brought these charges upon Socrates. These men represented those that Socrates examined in his search to find out if the Delphic Mission was true. In that search he found that none of the men that promoted what they believed that they knew was true was in fact completely false. This made those men so angry that they band together and indicted Socrates on the charges of impiety and the corruption of the youth. Socrates then went to court and did what he could to refute the charges that were brought against him.
Socrates was a great Philosopher and thinker who were able to take his knowledge to greater heights from Ancient Athens. Due to Socrates great thinking and open-mindedness he was accused by many but persecuted with two charges, which were brought against him. In Plato’s Euthyphro, Socrates challenged Euthyphro for a solid definition of ‘what is piety’. In Apology Plato goes on to state the charges which had been set against Socrates, but while doing so Plato juggles the readers mind whether Socrates was guilty of any of these charges. Plato brings the reader to and argument between Socrates and Crito in the Crito dialogues. This argument is to determine whether Socrates should run away or face the death penalty/during the argument Socrates
followers, but ending his life may never end the chaos that came with him and carried out by his
Socrates was philosophizing in order to make people recognize this. Maybe they did not want to be challenged, but Socrates persisted and this persistence caused him to become beloved to some, yet hated by others. His contribution to Athens was to evoke thought, and although he did this well, it would become his poison, quite literally. Regardless, the story of the Euthyphro is one of the classic examples of how Socrates was making his name and awakening people’s minds to the thoughts that they did not think to have. Euthyphro’s conversation with Socrates was only one of many and I believe it is safe to say that the frustration on the subject’s behalf was not an isolated
Before getting into the principles of Socrates, it is important to have some context on these two stories to understand how each of these exemplify philosophical understanding. “Euthyphro” is a dialogue between Socrates and
Socrates, in his conviction from the Athenian jury, was both innocent and guilty as charged. In Plato’s Five Dialogues, accounts of events ranging from just prior to Socrates’ entry into the courthouse up until his mouthful of hemlock, both points are represented. Socrates’ in dealing with moral law was not guilty of the crimes he was accused of by Meletus. Socrates was only guilty as charged because his peers had concluded him as such. The laws didn’t find Socrates guilty; Socrates was guilty because his jurors enforced the laws. The law couldn’t enforce itself. Socrates was accused of corrupting Athens’ youth, not believing in the gods of the city and creating his own gods. In the Euthyphro, Socrates defends himself against the blasphemous charges outside the courthouse to a priest Euthyphro. Socrates looks to the priest to tell him what exactly is pious so that he may educate himself as to why he would be perceived as impious. Found in the Apology, another of Plato’s Five Dialogues, Socrates aims to defend his principles to the five hundred and one person jury. Finally, the Crito, an account of Socrates’ final discussion with his good friend Crito, Socrates is offered an opportunity to escape the prison and his death sentence. As is known, Socrates rejected the suggestion. It is in the Euthyphro and the Apology that it can be deduced that Socrates is not guilty as charged, he had done nothing wrong and he properly defended himself. However, in the Crito, it is shown that Socrates is guilty only in the interpretation and enforcement of Athens’ laws through the court system and its jurors. Socrates’ accusations of being blasphemous are also seen as being treasonous.
The story that is found in Plato’s dialogue Euthyphro proposes a dilemma that has since been a very controversial subject. When Socrates encounters Euthyphyo, he is on his way to trail to face charges against his own father. His father had been accused o...
Socrates’s argument that what is holy and what is approved of by the gods are not the same thing is convincing because they both are two different things. Like Socrates stated in EUTHYPHRO, “Is the pious being loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is being loved by the gods?” This connects back to Socrates argument because it states that the gods choose what is pious because they love it or is it pious because it being loved be the gods. The gods are determining the definition of pious instead of letting it be defined. In a way they are changing the definition of it because their peers will look up to them and follow what they have to say. Socrates arguments relate to this because if the gods don’t approve of something
When Socrates was brought to trial for the corruption of the city’s youth he knew he had done nothing wrong. He had lived his life as it should be lead, and did what he ne...