Euthyphro Analysis

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Euthyphro Plato’s dialog, Euthyphro, gives an account of one of Socrates many encounters with someone who claims to be wise. Always seeking to increase his own knowledge, Socrates attempts to determine if the man is truly wise and if there is anything that he is able to learn from him. He does this by using the method of refutation, which allows the interlocutor to refute themselves using their own statements and beliefs. The dialog begins with Socrates going to the court of Athens to face charges of impiety. There he meets Euthyphro, a priest who is at court to prosecute his father for letting a servant guilty of murder die under his watch. The two begin to discuss the topic of piety and Socrates asks Euthyphro to enlighten him about what pleases the gods so he may defend himself against the charges placed on him. Euthyphro agrees that he has knowledge of what is holy and says that by prosecuting his father what he is doing is pious. With this proclamation of wisdom, Socrates begins to cross-examen Euthyphro to determine whether his claim is true (Euthyphro 2a-5b). First Socrates makes the claim that everything that is pious is the opposite of everything that is impious and that all things pious share some quality that makes them pious. Euthyphro agrees with and supports this claim. Socrates then desires a specific definition piety and Euthyphro replies that “to prosecuting the wrongdoer” is pious (Euthyphro 5e). This thesis does not please Socrates since there must be other things that are also pious and he remarks that this is simply one example of a pious action. After Euthyphro agrees that there are many pious actions, not just one, Socrates asks again for a definition that explains what form makes all pious actions pious and all impious actions impious. Euthyphro responds by saying “what is dear to the gods is pious, what is not is impious (Euthyphro 7a).” Now that Euthyphro has offered an answer in a way that satisfies Socrates, it must be proven true. It is here that Socrates begins his method of refutation with the new thesis given. He asks Euthyphro if it is true that the gods often disagree and that what may be seen as pious to one god could be seen as impious to another. Euthyphro admits this to be true and Socrates shows that the definition he has given is now absurd because it was earlier agreed upon that all things pious are opposite of all things impious and, therefore, cannot coexist. This in mind, Euthyphro is forced to revise his thesis again to state
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