Euthyphro- Plato

Euthyphro- Plato

Introduction

The conversations and the argument in Euthyphro, between Socrates and Plato, are not only highly regarded and widely considered in the philosophical circles, but the definitions presented during the argument are also considered the standard of piety and holiness. It is eminent to mention here that the dialogue has been set outside the court of king-archon and is taking place between two individuals (Socrates and Plato) who are coming from different backgrounds with the same intention: to get their matters resolved by the judgment of the king. The following paragraphs focus on the definitions of piety and holiness presented by Plato and the ways in which these definitions can be understood and analyzed:

Discussion

Concept of holiness in the dialogue between Socrates and Plato

As mentioned earlier, the dialogue is set between Socrates and Plato outside the court, where Plato came to file charges of murder against his father while Socrates arrived to defend the charges of impiety against him (Plato, 2009). When Socrates learned that Plato was filing charges against his father, for letting a slave die in helplessness, he started believing that Plato had complete information and an exact idea about piety and holiness. It is eminent to mention here that charges of manslaughter were not filed by the family members of the deceased, and Plato was volunteering his father's life for the sake of upholding justice. The situation led to the strengthening of the belief of Socrates, combined with the fact that he was facing charges of impiety against him, and he asks Plato to present the definitions of holiness to him, thus beginning up the topic of piety and granting it a prominent position in the argument (Plato and Cooper, 2000).

Definitions presented by Plato and refutation by Socrates

Plato presented three different and distinct definitions of piety to ...