who is euthyphro prosecuting and for what charge

Why did Socrates go to court with Euthyphro?

Euthyphro: Summary | SparkNotes Socrates encounters Euthyphro outside the court of Athens. Socrates has been called to court on charges of impiety by Meletus, and Euthyphro has come to prosecute his own father for having unintentionally killed a murderous hired hand.

Why does Euthyphro decide to prosecute his father for murder?

Euthyphro explains that he is prosecuting his father for impious behavior, namely murder. Euthyphro explains that the slave in question killed another slave in a drunken rage on the family’s farm in Naxos.

Does Euthyphro know all there is to know about what is Holy?

Euthyphro concurs that he does indeed know all there is to be known about what is holy. Socrates urges Euthyphro to instruct him and to teach him what holiness is, since Euthyphro's teaching might help Socrates in his trial against Meletus.

Who is Euthyphro in the Iliad?

Euthyphro, the Athenian prophet. His father owned land on the island of Naxos. His father's harsh treatment of a paid servant (Thetes under the Solonian Constitution) leads to Euthyphro raising charges against him. According to his own statements in this dialogue, his claims to prophecy and divination were considered a joke to other Athenians.

Who did Euthyphro prosecute?

his fatherSocrates inquires as to why Euthyphro has come to court, and Euthyphro answers that he is prosecuting his father for murder (which was considered a religious crime by the Greeks).

Who is Euthyphro taking to court and what is the charge?

Socrates encounters Euthyphro outside the court of Athens. Socrates has been called to court on charges of impiety by Meletus, and Euthyphro has come to prosecute his own father for having unintentionally killed a murderous hired hand.

What crime is Euthyphro charging his father with?

crime of murderEuthyphro's father was, at least to some extent, responsible for the offender's death, and this was the basis for charging him with the crime of murder. Socrates is impressed by the fact that Euthyphro is willing to perform his duty in the matter even though it means taking action against a member of his own family.

Why is Euthyphro prosecuting his father for murder?

Euthyphro's prosecution is based on the claim that his father killed the man unlawfully, and that he, Euthyphro, is obliged to prosecute his father to purify both of them from the religious pollution (miasma) caused by his father's alleged crime.

Who has Euthyphro indicted?

Euthyphro is bringing a lawsuit against his father for murder, and Socrates has been indicted by a young man called Meletus for “making new gods,” “not believing in the ancient ones,” and corrupting Athenian youths (40).

What is the answer to Euthyphro?

The Euthyphro Question: “Is an action wrong because God forbids it or does God forbid it because it is wrong?” If the Divine Command Theorist takes this horn, she thereby admits that there is some standard of right and wrong that is independent of God's will.

Is Euthyphro doing a good thing by prosecuting his father is he doing the right thing?

Even though Eurhyphro is doing the right thing by prosecuting his father for murder, he is doing it for the wrong reason. He is prosecuting his father for the reason of piety. Although he does not even know what piety is, therefore his prosecution is inaccurate.

What are the two points of the Euthyphro dilemma?

5 In its modern iteration, the Euthyphro dilemma works by revealing two unacceptable positions that the Divine Command Theorist must choose between. These two 'horns' of the dilemma are that either (1) the command of God identifies morality, or (2) the command of God creates morality.

What is the main point of Euthyphro?

It is a commonplace that if one wants to know what is right or wrong, one goes to consult a religious leader (priest, rabbi, minister, shaman, or what have you.) For many religions, doing what is right is a matter of doing just what God wills.

Who did Euthyphro father murder?

What did Euthyphro's dad do? He murdered man who was a hired hand of Euthyphro's, helping with the farming on Naxos. The man got drunk and, in a rage, slit the throat of one of Euthyphro's servants.

Why is Euthyphro at the Court of Athens What is he doing there?

Euthyphro is there because he is prosecuting his father for murder. One of their servants had killed an enslaved person, and Euthyphro's father had tied the servant up and left him in a ditch while he sought advice about what to do.

Why is Euthyphro going to the court of the King Archon?

The Euthyphro is a dialogue between the Greek philosopher Socrates and Euthyphro, set in the court of King Archon. Euthyphro is a local townsperson known to Socrates. Euthyphro is a zealot, appearing before the court to prosecute his father on charges of murder.

What happens at the end of Euthyphro?

Socrates leads Euthyphro to assent that if he is saying the gods find our sacrifices gratifying, he is then suggesting that our sacrifices are what is approved of by the gods. But, Socrates points out, this leads us back to where we were before, asserting that what is holy is what is approved of by the gods.

What is Euthyphro dilemma known for?

At first glance the Euthyphro dilemma may seem a challenge to the value of religious traditions. In fact it is a question that unites the religious and the secular in the need to seek right and wrong within the human world, whether or not we also choose to seek them in God.

Why did Socrates ask Euthyphro for a clear definition of piety?

Ostensibly in order to better defend himself in an upcoming trial for being an impious citizen of Athens , Socrates asks Euthyphro for a clear definition of piety (holiness); he offers Socrates four definitions.

What does Euthyphro say at the end of the dialogue?

At the dialogue's conclusion, Euthyphro is compelled to admit that each of his definitions of "piety" has failed, but, rather than correct his faulty logic, he says that it is time for him to leave, and excuses himself from their dialogue. To that end, Socrates concludes the dialogue with Socratic irony: Since Euthyphro was unable to define "piety", Euthyphro has failed to teach Socrates about piety. Therefore, from his dialogue with Euthyphro, Socrates received nothing helpful to his defense against a formal charge of impiety (15c ff.).

What does Euthyphro ask Socrates to do?

Since Euthyphro seems assured of himself, Socrates asks him to define piety. His help will clarify Socrates' case in the courtroom.

Why did Euthyphro tell Socrates to go to court?

Socrates tells him that he is preparing to go to court against the charges of Meletus on the grounds of impiety. Euthyphro tells Socrates that he is going to court himself to prosecute his father for binding a worker in chains and leaving him to die.

What did Socrates conclude the dialogue with?

To that end, Socrates concludes the dialogue with Socratic irony: Since Euthyphro was unable to define "piety", Euthyphro has failed to teach Socrates about piety. Therefore, from his dialogue with Euthyphro, Socrates received nothing helpful to his defense against a formal charge of impiety (15c ff.).

Why is the Euthyphro Dialogue important?

Hence, the Euthyphro dialogue is technically important for the dialectics of theology, ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics.

When was Euthyphro written?

Euthyphro ( / ˈjuːθɪfroʊ /; Ancient Greek: Εὐθύφρων, romanized : Euthyphrōn; c. 399–395 BC), by Plato, is a Socratic dialogue whose events occur in the weeks before the trial of Socrates (399 BC), between Socrates and Euthyphro. The dialogue covers subjects such as the meaning of piety and justice. As is common with Plato's earliest dialogues, it ...

Why is Euthyphro's case unusual?

Euthyphro acknowledges that this case is unusual because he is not addressing the death of a family member, but the death of a slave by a member of his own family. Normally, it is considered impious to prosecute a member of one’s own family, but Euthyphro is convinced his actions are the pious thing to do.

What did Socrates propose to Euthyphro?

Socrates proposes that Euthyphro educate him on the nature of piety, so that he will be able to use Euthyphro’s wisdom in his own court case. Euthyphro boasts that he can counsel Socrates on the nature of piety to such an extent that Meletus would be the one ending up on trial.

Why does Socrates draw again on the metaphor of Daedalus?

Euthyphro’s frustration indicates to the reader that his “expertise” about piety is not on solid ground, which is why Socrates draws again on the metaphor of Daedalus to remind the reader that Euthyphro is circling once again back to a baseless claim about the gods.

What is the moral dilemma of Euthyphro's father?

The situation concerning Euthyphro’s father and the two dead slaves is a moral conundrum: the modern reader is likely to oppose slavery in and of itself, and Euthyphro’s father was overly negligent, but the murderous slave was also in the wrong. This dilemma helps to convey the moral grey area of pious versus impious actions that Socrates hopes to help Euthyphro (and, thus, the reader) clarify through the dialogue. Having positioned both Socrates and Euthyphro as people who are concerned with the nature of piety, Plato is now drawing the reader into the inquiry as well—a strategy that is central to the Socratic method of inquiry in which all participants in the philosophical thought experiment play an active role.

Why does Socrates say Euthyphro is acting like Daedalus?

Socrates suggests that Euthyphro is acting like Daedalus (who could make his statues move) because Euthyphro is offering claims that merely move around the concept of piety. Euthyphro retorts—unwittingly—that Socrates is the one who is running circles around him with his logic.

What is the premise of Socrates's dialogue?

Socrates’s explanation that he is facing a charge of impiety for irreverence towards the gods indicates the socially accepted view of piety as something concerned with the gods. Euthyphro’s expression of surprise and sympathy with Socrates encourages the reader to engage similarly with Socrates’s plight of being charged with a crime for the mere act of talking freely. In doing calling the morality of Socrates’s free speech into question, Plato implicitly raises the question of whether acting piously really means conforming to what the gods deem is proper, or if there is a more universal definition for piety.

Why does Socrates say that the gods love certain things?

Socrates suggests that surely the gods love certain things because they are already pious (and not vice versa). Euthyphro agrees, falling into Socrates’s trap. Socrates concludes that Euthyphro has only explained something that happens to pious things and not what makes them pious in the first place.

What does Meletus believe Socrates is corrupting?

Meletus believes Socrates is corrupting the youth of Athens, and wants to prosecute him . Socrates remarks what a promising young start this Meletus is making, weeding out the corruptors of the city's youth: Socrates himself believes that the excellence of the youth should be of utmost concern.

Why did Socrates ask Euthyphro to come to court?

Socrates inquires as to why Euthyphro has come to court, and Eu thyphro answers that he is prosecuting his father for murder (which was considered a religious crime by the Greeks). Socrates is amazed that Euthyphro should want to prosecute his own father, remarking that Euthyphro must have very advanced knowledge of these sorts of matters to be making such a bold move. And, Socrates suggests, his father must have killed another family member: surely, Euthyphro would not go to such pains on behalf of an outsider.

What is Euthyphro's accusation?

Euthyphro remarks that this accusation is probably connected to the divine sign that Socrates claims to be visited by on occasion. Euthyphro, too, is often disbelieved when he speaks about divine matters or predicts the future.

Did Socrates think Euthyphro's father killed another family member?

And, Socrates suggests, his father must have killed another family member: surely, Euthyphro would not go to such pains on behalf of an outsider. Euthyphro replies that he is indeed an expert in these matters, and that, contrary to Socrates' suggestion, the murdered man is not of Euthyphro's family. All that matters in these cases, Euthyphro ...

Who is the judge that Socrates meets Euthyphro?

Socrates and Euthyphro meet by the Porch of the King Archon, one of the judges responsible for overseeing religious law. Euthyphro, surprised to see Socrates, asks what brings him here. Socrates answers that he is being prosecuted by Meletus--a young unknown with straight hair, a sparse beard, and a hooked nose.

Did Plato break the text?

Note: There are no natural breaks in the text as Plato wrote it. These notes on the text have been divided artificially, sections beginning or breaking off where a new theme or topic is introduced or dropped. Because page numbers may vary from edition to edition, these sections have been demarcated according to the Stephanus numbers, the page numbers from the 1578 complete works edited by Henri Estienne ("Stephanus" in Latin). The Stephanus numbers are the standard page references in scholarly work on Plato, and most editions of his work contain the Stephanus numbers along the margins.

Who killed the man in Naxos?

It turns out that the murdered man was a hired hand of Euthyphro' s, helping with the farming on Naxos. The man got drunk and, in a rage, slit the throat of one of Euthyphro 's servants. Euthyphro' s father bound this murderer, threw him in a ditch, and sent for the Interpreter, the official who is responsible for dealing with such crimes. But before the Interpreter could arrive, the hired hand died of exposure in the ditch. Euthyphro notes that his family is angry with him for carrying out such a prosecution on behalf of a murderer, but Euthyphro asserts that he knows better than they do the position of divine law regarding what is holy and what is unholy.

What does Socrates say about holiness?

But, Socrates points out, to say that holiness is gratifying the gods is similar to saying that holiness is what is approved of by the gods, which lands us back in our previous conundrum. Rather than try to find a better definition, Euthyphro leaves in a huff, frustrated by Socrates' questioning. Next section Context.

What does Euthyphro suggest about holiness?

First, Euthyphro suggests that holiness is persecuting religious offenders. Socrates finds this definition unsatisfying, since there are many holy deeds aside from that of persecuting offenders.

What does Euthyphro say about Socrates?

Euthyphro concurs that he does indeed know all there is to be known about what is holy. Socrates urges Euthyphro to instruct him and to teach him what holiness is, since Euthyphro's teaching might help Socrates in his trial against Meletus. First, Euthyphro suggests that holiness is persecuting religious offenders.

Why did Socrates meet Euthyphro?

Socrates encounters Euthyphro outside the court of Athens. Socrates has been called to court on charges of impiety by Meletus, and Euthyphro has come to prosecute his own father for having unintentionally killed a murderous hired hand. Socrates flatters Euthyphro, suggesting that Euthyphro must be a great expert in religious matters ...

What is holy Euthyphro?

Euthyphro suggests that what is holy is what is agreeable to the gods, in response to which Socrates points out that the gods often quarrel, so what is agreeable to one might not be agreeable to all.

Is holy the same as approved?

It follows from this reasoning that what is holy cannot be the same thing as what is approved of by the gods, since one of these two determines what gets approved of by the gods and the other is determined by what gets approved of by the gods.

What did Socrates suggest to Meletus?

Socrates suggests that perhaps Euthyphro could teach him about religious matters. That way, if Meletus were to prosecute him, Socrates could say that he is now under the tutelage of Euthyphro, whose authority on these matters is unquestionable. If Meletus were to prosecute him even so, Socrates could point out that Euthyphro is in fact the one responsible for teaching him and that Meletus should prosecute Euthyphro instead.

Why does Euthyphro run off saying he has an appointment?

Euthyphro runs off saying he has an appointment because as it dawns on him that Socrates has made a fool of him. Perhaps in the future, Euthyphro will be more wary of claiming certain knowledge of things. Perhaps he will be more concerned with careful thought and investigation, with humbler yet more accurate claims to knowledge. This, more than any particular doctrine, is what Socrates had to teach.

What does Socrates ask Euthyphro?

Socrates asks Euthyphro if he believes literally all the myths about the gods Euthyphro confirms that he believes all this and more. He says that his knowledge of divine matters is such that he could teach Socrates a great deal that Socrates did not know about the gods. Socrates suggests that perhaps that can wait for another time.

What does Socrates wonder about the love of the gods?

Socrates wonders whether the love of the gods is even relevant to the meaning of piety. On the one side are the gods, in the act of loving. On the other side is piety caused by the loving of the gods, or is the love of the gods itself caused by the nature of piety.

How many claims does Euthyphro have?

The three claims Euthyphro is committed to

What is the problem with the idea of holiness?

The problem with it is that it implies some sort of dependence of the gods upon us. Socrates' original suggestion, that our relationship with the gods is similar to that between a groom and a horse, suggests that somehow we are the caretakers of the gods--that we improve them, and that they are only made better through our good deeds.

Who agreed with Socrates that everything is holy and everything unholy?

Socrates has Euthyphro agree with him that there must be one form or standard by which everything holy is holy and everything unholy, by contrast with the holy, is unholy

Why do the gods love what they love?

But the question at the heart of this readings is “ Why do the gods love what they love? ” If the gods love what they love because he thing is worthy of being loved, then the gods are merely following a higher rationale than their own choices. On the other hand, if they love whatever they happen to choose to love, then there is no rhyme or reason to what’s moral.

What would you have done if you had not clear knowledge of holiness and unholiness?

For if you had not clear knowledge of holiness and unholiness, you would surely not have undertaken to prosecute your aged father for murder for the sake of a servant. You would have been afraid to risk the anger of the gods, in case your conduct should be wrong, and would have been ashamed in the sight of men.

Why did Euthyphro bring the indictment against Socrates?

So he has brought the indictment against you for making innovations in religion, and he is going into court to slander you, knowing that slanders on such subjects are readily accepted by the people.

What does Euthyphro say to Socrates?

Euthyphro: I hope it may be so, Socrates; but I fear the opposite may result. For it seems to me that he begins by injuring the State at its very heart, when he undertakes to harm you. Now tell me, what does he say you do that corrupts the young?

Is the thing and the person that are dear to the gods holy?

The thing and the person that are dear to the gods are holy, and the thing and the person that are hateful to the gods are unholy; and the two are not the same, but the holy and the unholy are the exact opposites of each other. Is not this what we have said? Euthyphro: Yes, just this.

Who said "My dear Euthyphro, their ridicule is perhaps of no consequence"?

Socrates : My dear Euthyphro, their ridicule is perhaps of no consequence. For the Athenians, I fancy, are not much concerned, if they think a man is clever, provided he does not impart his clever notions to others; but when they think he makes others to be like himself, they are angry with him, either through jealousy, as you say, or for some other reason.

Who said "Heracles"?

Socrates : Heracles! Surely, Euthyphro, most people do not know where the right lies; for I fancy it is not everyone who can rightly do what you are doing, but only one who is already very far advanced in wisdom. Euthyphro: Very far, indeed, Socrates, by Zeus.

Overview

Background

The Euthyphro dialogue occurs near the court of the archon basileus (king magistrate), where Socrates and Euthyphro encounter each other; each man is present at the court for the preliminary hearings to possible trials (2a).
Euthyphro has come to present charges of murder against his own father who, after arresting one of his workers (Thetes) for killing a slave from the family estate on Naxos Island, tied him and th…

Characters

The argument

The dialogue

History

Reception

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