Kyo 's Key Ideas from Euthyphro
by Plato

In their dialogue, Socrates playfully engages Euthyphro, sarcastically expressing delight in meeting someone knowledgeable about piety, a subject crucial to his impending trial. He prompts Euthyphro to define piety, to which Euthyphro offers five successive definitions, each refuted by Socrates' critical analysis.

Euthyphro initially suggests that piety is synonymous with his act of prosecuting wrongdoers, such as his father.

However, Socrates counters that this is merely an example of piety, not a comprehensive definition.

Euthyphro then proposes that piety consists of actions loved by the gods, with impiety being what the gods detest.

Socrates challenges this by pointing out that different gods may have conflicting preferences, rendering this definition problematic.

Seeking to refine his definition, Euthyphro asserts that piety is what all the gods love universally, and impiety is what they collectively despise.

Socrates, in turn, queries whether actions are pious because the gods love them or if the gods love them because they are inherently pious — a crucial distinction Euthyphro struggles to clarify.

(This is where the famous Euthyphro dillema came from).

Further attempting to define piety, Euthyphro suggests it involves caring for the gods' well-being or interests.

Socrates questions the nature of this care, highlighting its ambiguity and the difficulty in defining it in practical terms, akin to the care one might provide a pet or master.

It can't be the sort of care a dog owner gives to its dog since that aims at improving the dog. But we can't improve the gods. If it's like the care an enslaved person gives his enslaver, it must aim at some definite shared goal. But Euthyphro can't say what that goal is.

Lastly, Euthyphro defines piety as doing and saying what pleases the gods during prayers and sacrifices.

However, under Socrates' scrutiny, this definition circles back to the previous definition (3rd definition in disguise), where the essence of piety remains elusive.

Ultimately, Euthyphro, unable to provide a satisfactory definition that withstands Socrates' relentless questioning, abruptly concludes their dialogue, suggesting he has other engagements to attend to.