Socrates Piety And Impiety Summary

1. Socrates has come to the law courts because he himself is facing charges of impiety. He has been accused by Meletus of corrupting the youth of Athens and introducing new gods. Socrates engages in philosophical discussions with various individuals in order to examine their beliefs and gain a better understanding of virtue, wisdom, and the nature of the gods. By encountering Euthyphro, who claims to be knowledgeable about matters of piety and impiety, Socrates hopes to learn from him and perhaps find some guidance for his own defense against the charges.

2. Socrates describes the charge against him as corrupting the youth and introducing new gods, but he finds it puzzling. While he doesn't take the accusation seriously, he recognizes the

These charges are significant as they involve matters of morality, religion, and the social order, making them serious accusations in the context of Athenian society.

4. Euthyphro's first response to the question of what is piety and impiety is that piety is what he is doing, which is prosecuting wrongdoers, regardless of who they are, even if they are his own relatives. Impiety, according to Euthyphro, is the act of not prosecuting wrongdoers.

Socrates objects to this definition proposed by Euthyphro by pointing out that it is merely an example or instance of piety rather than a general definition. He seeks a more universal and comprehensive understanding of piety, not just specific actions that may or may not be pious in certain circumstances. Socrates is looking for a definition that captures the essence or nature of piety itself, rather than just particular instances.

5. Socrates finds it hard to accept the stories about the gods' actions and behavior because they often depict the gods engaging in contradictory or morally questionable actions. The myths and traditional narratives portray the gods as engaging in conflicts, deceiving one another, and even committing acts of violence and injustice. These actions seem to be inconsistent with the notion of divine goodness and moral

Two kinds of "tending to" are distinguished:

-Tending to something for the sake of the thing itself: This refers to caring for or attending to something in order to benefit or nurture it directly. It involves taking actions that are specifically directed towards the well-being or improvement of the thing itself.

-Tending to something for the sake of someone else: This refers to caring for or attending to something because it is valued or desired by someone else. The actions taken are not primarily for the benefit of the thing itself, but rather to please or fulfill the desires of another person.

In Euthyphro's definition, which states that piety is the part of justice concerned with "tending to the gods," the relevant kind of "tending to" is the second one. Euthyphro suggests that piety involves attending to or caring for the gods in order to please or fulfill their desires. It is a form of "tending to" that is done for the sake of someone else, in this case, the gods themselves.

15. The problem with Euthyphro's definition is that it lacks clarity about what it means to "tend to the gods" and how it relates to justice. Socrates suggests that if Euthyphro had answered a specific question about the essence of piety, he would have provided adequate instruction. The exact content of the question is not stated, but it would have aimed to reveal a deeper understanding of