Learning Objectives:
- Familiarity with concepts in
Plato's Euthyphro
;
- Familiarity with the form of a Socratic dialog;
- An understanding of the term "impiety";
- Understanding the "impiety" charge brought
against Socrates and his reaction to it;
- Understanding the "impiety" charge brought
against Euthyphro;
- Familiarity with Socrates' life and the parallels
to Jesus'' life.
- Knowing what crime Euthyphro accused his father of and why;
- Understanding Euthyphro's definitions of piety;
- Understanding Socrates' analogy of being carried to being loved;
- Weakness of Euthyphro's definitions (specifics
and examples rather than a broad definition);
- Understanding Socrates' question: "Whether the pious or
holy is beloved by the gods because it is holy, or holy because it
is beloved by the gods";
- Understanding Confucius' view regarding
turning in family members.
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"The Death of Socrates" Jacques Louis David (1787)
Metropolitan
Museum of Art
Consequence of living the examined life.
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Socrates
470-399 BCE |
What is piety?
Euthyphro is one of Plato's main dialogues. The main question
asked is, "What is piety/holiness?"
In Socratic times piety was generally understood to mean living in a way
"that fulfills one's duty both to gods and to men" (quoted from
Plato's Euthyphro, Apology, Crito & Phaedo by Dr. Charles Patterson,
Cliff Notes, 1975, Lincoln, Nebraska, page 14). |
Background information on Socrates
Meletus had charged Socrates with
"impiety," and a jury of 500 found Socrates guilty by a small
margin. Meletus claimed Socrates was corrupting the youth because he
was teaching them to think for themselves. Additionally, Meletus
charged Socrates with being an atheist because he did not
believe in the traditional Greek gods living on Mount Olympus.
Socrates, however, did believe in gods because he heard God's
voice in his head telling him , "This is right, do this. This is
not right, avoid it." Socrates believed "that a divine
purpose was expressed in the creation of the world and this
purpose was directed toward the moral and spiritual development
of human beings" (Patterson 18)
The dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro is particularly
meaningful because if Socrates could understand "impiety," he
could better judge if the charge of impiety Meletus brought up
against him is appropriate.
What was the punishment for impiety?
Death.
Why didn't Socrates appeal for lenience or
save his life by agreeing to leave Athens? Why did he accept
death?
- Socrates valued conscience and
truth more than he valued mortal life. He assured the jury
he had only acted in the best interest of the state.
- Socrates believed that when one lives in a state and accepts
its benefits, one must abide by its rules and by the decrees of
its courts.
- To escape would be tantamount to being silenced. Socrates
thought it his mission to speak the truth, to serve the public
good. Socrates could not go against his conscience. He
lived by the highest law, the moral law, which the gods
whispered to him.
- Socrates was not afraid of death, as death was not evil in
itself. Socrates was afraid of evil itself. It is better to
suffer an evil, an injustice, rather than be the one who commits
the injustice. Socrates would say, "Do not feel sorry for me,
but feel sorry for the perpetrators. It is better to
suffer injustice than to practice injustice"
(paraphrase - see Euthyphro text at
http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/p/plato/p71cro/)
To what famous figure has Socrates been
compared to?
Socrates has often been compared to Jesus because they were both
"innocent martyrs" who could have escaped death.
- Both inspired and left an eternal
impression.
- Both remained single, and both found
"students/followers" in their walks.
- Both were masters in the art of
discourse.
- Both believed they spoke on behalf of a
greater good for all. Both challenged the status quo by
criticizing all forms of injustice and corruption.
- Neither wrote a word, or left an account
of their life, yet this was doing by their followers.
- What was written has been debated and
given rise to various conflicting beliefs.
- Socrates always said he had a "divine
voice" inside of him;
Jesus said He and the Father were one.
- Both lived an unrighteous, simple
lifestyle.
- Neither charged for their "lessons."
- Both were executed.
- Neither tried to escape his sentence.
- Both had a message that was inseparably
linked to their personal courage.
- Both felt they had a message and a
mission that would have been betrayed unless they kept faith
until the very end
- Both met death bravely and thus commanded
an enormous following after they had died.
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- What is a Socratic dialog?
- It is a form of writing commonly used by Plato, a
question and answer format, wherein Socrates asks questions. Socrates talks
to one or more individuals and humbly explains that he is looking for the
truth or for answers. So he asks questions, one after the other.
Ironically, Socrates, who says he is humbly looking for answers, has
more answers to give than those he speaks with, even when the others
profess to be very knowledgeable.
- Who are the two dialogue participants in
Euthyphro?
- Socrates & Euthyphro. They
are discussing piety, "that virtue usually regarded as a manner
of living that fulfills one's duty both to gods and to men" ( Patterson, Charles. Plato's Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo , page 14).
- Who is Euthyphro?
- A sophist who proclaims to know all. He plans on being paid
for his wisdom. It is not known whether Euthyphro is a real
figure or not.
- Euthyphro gives instruction on political, moral & everyday
concerns.
- What crime does Euthyphro accuse his father of?
- Manslaughter - as he allowed one of his workers to die
without proper care and attention.
Euthyphro's dad had a murderer bound &
thrown in a ditch. Euthyphro's dad went to find a priest
to see what should be done with the murderer. Meanwhile,
however, the murderer died of hunger and exposure.
- Why did Euthyphro's dad do this?
- Because a laborer in a drunken rage has killed one
of his domestic servants.
- How does Socrates want Euthyphro to define holiness/piety?
- Universally - so that it applies to al circumstances
regardless of race, creed , culture & time.
- It is to be the template by which actions are measured.
Note: If Socrates understands "piety" then he can better judge
if the charge Meletus brought up against him is appropriate.
- How does Euthyphro define piety?
- 1. Turning in his father (an example of
piety is not a definition, as a definition must be all
encompassing)
- 2. What the gods approve of , and what is
dear to the gods (Socrates' rebuttal is that gods disagree so an action
is both holy & unholy, so it is not clear what gods
consider dear)
- 3. What ALL the gods approve of is holy ( Do gods approve of
an action because it is holy, or is it holy because the gods say
so?) - For example, if the gods approved of prostitution, would
it then become a noble, serving ,and holy profession?
Euthyphro is confident all murder is wrong, but Socrates says
circumstances and motivation matter.
- How does Socrates "being carried" analogy respond to this
question?
- Socrates says something "is in the state of being led, or
carried because it is in the state of being carried." Therefore,
what is holy is loved by the gods because it is already holy. Holiness comes
first. Love is a response to holiness..
- Similarly, something is loved because it is something that is
already loveable.
- How does Socrates define holiness/piety?
- Holiness belongs to actions that are morally just or morally
good.
Holiness/piety, however, has not yet been fully defined.
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Something to think about:
A multicultural perspective
What would Confucius say about Euthyphro's actions?
Confucius advocates lying to protect one's family"The governor of She in conversation with Confucius
said, "In our village, there is someone called 'True Person'. When
his father took a sheep on the sly, he reported him to the
authorities" Confucius
Confucius replied, "those who are true in my village conduct
themselves differently. A father covers for his son, and a son
covers for his father. and being true lies to this."
Confucius 551-479 B.C. (Analects )
Confucius gives us a negative golden rule, "Do not do unto others
as you would not have them do unto you."
Questions for personal reflection:
-
Do you prefer Euthyphro's or
Confucius's view regarding turning in your parents?
-
Should parents ever be turned
in? Recall that during WWII children routinely turned in
their parents if something negative parents said something
negative about Hitler, as this was the law.
-
Which is more demanding, the
Confucian rule, "Do not do unto others as you would not have
them do unto you," or the Golden Rule,, "Do unto others as
you would have others do unto you"?
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Updating Euthyphro to the 21st century - The
William Ginglen story
Jared, Clay & Garrett Ginglen turned in their dad, William
Ginglen, when they discovered he had robbed some banks. People Magazine
writes on January 16, 2006, "William Ginglen raised his three sons to do
the right thing. So when they discovered their dad was a bank robber, they
called the cops." (page 73)
Do you agree with the decision?
Further information:
William's crack cocaine addiction cost him approximately $800/week. The
addiction began after William lost two jobs.
William robbed seven banks & used a gun
William's son, Clay, spoke on TV about the difficulty of turning in a
family member.
Updating Euthyphro to the 20th century -
Theodore
Kaczynski - The Unibomber story
Harvard graduate Theodore Kaczynski, AKA the unibomber, became
infamous for mailing bombs to airlines, businesses, and , universities
from 1978 to 1995. Kaczynski was opposed to technological development
because it robs man of his natural state and freedom. In total
,three individuals were killed and 23 were maimed. The FBI spent
over 50 million dollars and 17 years trying to catch him.
How was the unibomber eventually caught? Kaczynski was turned in
by his brother, David: "When David Kaczynski read the widely publicized
'Unibomber Manifesto,' he recognized the writing style and ideas of his
brother , Ted. After much internal conflict, David contacted the
FBI and informed them of his suspicions. When the FBI arrested Ted
Kaczynski, they found in his [Montana] cabin a finished bomb, along with
a 'hit list' containing the names of airline executives, computer
scientists, and geneticists" (Source: The Ten Commandments of
Character by Joseph Telishkin, Bell Tower, New York, @ 2003, page
28).
What was the public reaction to David turning in his
brother?
An op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times claimed, "No one will
ever be able to fully trust David Kaczynski" (quoted from The Ten
Commandments of Character, page 29).
What did David do with the reward money for turning in
his brother?
"David donated the reward money, less his legal expenses, to families of
his brother's victims." (Wikipedia
Kaczynski)
What would YOU have done with money for turning in a
relative who harmed others?
Updating Euthyphro to the 21sth century - Anna Nicole Smith:
On February 21, 2007, Anna's mom said on the Dr. Keith Ablow show that
she had told her daughter when she was still a school child that
she would turn her in to the police is she drank or did drugs in the
house. Anna's mom worked in Law Enforcement and was scared that
her daughter was tempted by the fast life.
Discussion Questions:
- How do you know what is pious, good or holy?
- Do you feel the "Ten Commandments" have impacted
our view of what one should and should not do?
Do you believe there are exceptions to the "Ten
Commandments"
- How would you explain "good" to a child?
- How would you explain "good" to an adult?
- Would you turn in a family member? Why? What are your values? How do
your values (and which values) lead you to your decision?
- Would you agree with the Los Angeles Times that
David Kaczynski is not trustworthy? Was David ethically
correct to "betray" his brother? What does it mean to betray? What
does it mean to be fair and just to another?
| Links |
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"The Death of Socrates" Jacques Louis David (1787)
Metropolitan
Museum of Art
Consequence of living the examined life. |
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