Daniel Kessler
Professor Kevin Harter
Humanities 200
2 October 2015
Euthyphro and Republic The dialogues between Socrates and Euthyphro and Socrates and Thrasymachus are very similar in their paths to address difficult topics such as justice and holiness. The content of Book I in Republic and Euthyphro differ with regards to the central theme, but the usage of the Socratic Method is evident throughout the dialogues. In both books, Socrates engages in discussion of the topics at hand and ends up refuting every answer put forward, while exposing the ignorance of Thrasymachus and Euthyphro. Each work requires careful examination to grasp the analogies made by Socrates in his refutations. A comparison of Euthyphro and Republic will highlight the
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Socrates has been accused of impiety and he encounters Euthyphro outside the Porch of King Archon, where Euthyphro has come to prosecute his own father for murder (Plato, Euthyphro 2a). Euthyphro claims to have a strong knowledge of holiness so Socrates tries to become Euthyphro’s pupil before his own trial against Meletus (Plato, Euthyphro 4e-5a). Euthyphro’s initial argument is that, “holiness is doing what I am doing now, prosecuting the wrongdoer who commits murder or steals from the temples” and unholiness is the opposite (Plato, Euthyphro 5d). When Socrates asks for a clearer definition Euthyphro states that holiness, “what is dear to the gods is holy” (Plato, Euthyphro …show more content…
The content of Euthyphro and the conversation over what is holy and what is not holy is easier to understand than the conversation about justice in Book 1 of Republic. Republic starts to make more sense as it progresses through the books, but since Book I is the foundation for the rest of the books, it is not very clear where the conversation goes. Euthyphro is easier to understand but is far less convincing than Republic. At the end of Book I, Socrates admits he still knows nothing but he is still in the process of investigating it (Plato, Republic 354c). Euthyphro ends when Euthyphro must leave, but nothing has been resolved and Socrates and Euthyphro have essentially gone back to their original question without any concrete