In our text starting on page 12 in Euthyphro, Socrates meets Euthyphro outside of the court of Athens. Socrates is outside the court of Athens because he is there to defend himself on charges pressed against him, whereas, Euthyphro is there because he is prosecuting his own father for murder. Socrates compliments Euthyphro stating that be must be an expert in religious matters and what is holy and unholy if he is willing to prosecute his own father on a charge that is so uncertain.
Euthypro does not seem to fully understand what Socrates has intended. Instead, Euthypro agrees that he is an expert on what is holy and unholy. Socrates then urges Euthypro?s to help him understand what is holy and unholy because this may help him in the charges that were pressed against him in Meletus. He asks Euthypro to teach him his knowledge of religious matter.
First Euthypro starts out
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Socrates seems to be okay with this definition, except he questions that one should inquire what part of justice this truly involves. In our text Socrates states ? In like manner, I want you to tell me what part of justice is piety or holiness, that I may be able to tell Meletus not to do me injustice, or indict me for impiety, as I am now adequately instructed by you in the nature of piety or holiness, and their opposites? (Fieser &Stumpf, 2015). Euthypro finally states ?that piety or holiness is learning how to please the Gods in word and deed, by prayers and sacrifices. Such piety is the salvation of families and states, just as the impious, which is unpleasing to the Gods, is their ruin and destruction? (Fieser & Stumpf, 2015). That is when Socrates finally comes to the assumption that Euthypro is not the right teacher to be instructing him, of what is holy and unholy. Euthypro becomes exhausted with all the questions Socrates is asking and leaves in a rush, leaving Socrates with no real answer as to what the definition of piety