Euthyphro
Outside the court where Socrates will face an impiety charge, Euthyphro prepares to prosecute his own father. His certainty about religious duty becomes the starting point for an inquiry into what makes an action pious.
Understanding the text
The dramatic meeting precedes the trial of 399 BCE. Its inconclusive definitions expose a problem about explanation, not merely an eccentric religious opinion.
Key points
- 01
Definition
Naming an admirable prosecution does not explain the feature shared by every pious action, including unfamiliar cases.
- 02
Divine approval
Is piety loved by the gods because it is pious, or does their love constitute its piety?
- 03
Care and service
Later accounts compare religion to care and exchange, but each comparison introduces further questions about divine needs.
How to read it
Track each proposed definition and the reason it fails. Distinguish the famous dilemma from a general claim that religion or moral knowledge is impossible.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗