Socrates Cross Examination Of Euthyphro s Beliefs On...

Socrates’ cross examination of Euthyphro’s beliefs on what constitutes as pious and impious explicates the the argument, â€Å"is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?†. In demonstrating how this aligns as a real dilemma for Euthyphro in that the gods are not the source of morality, and how it is a false dilemma for Socrates because he believes morality to be ambiguous, would be to further analyze the question in where morality stems from. In this paper, I will be analyzing the five points of piety that is exemplified and how these come into effect as the crux of the dilemma that is presented in the dialogue. Socrates implements the Elenchus method as a means to disentangle the flaws in Euthyphro’s beliefs of what constitutes as pious and impious. It is shown that it progressively becomes more evident with each inquiry that Euthyphro’s understanding is in actuality very convoluted as he can only provide examples of piety, and not its true definition. This is the first point of the definitions of piety. Euthyphro explains that it is through the act of prosecuting his father for murder that serves as a pious act. Disregarding the familial bond, Euthyphro believes that convicting a wrongdoer for a crime is pious. However, Socrates refutes this by stating that it is simply offering a circumstance of piety, and not its core meaning. The second definition of piety comes the notion, â€Å"what is dear to the gods is pious, what is