Socrates is again unsatisfied with this definition because the gods are always feuding with one another. What is pious to one may not be pious to another. Euthyphro then says that all gods approve of pious actions. (7a-9e) Socrates asks, “Do the gods love piety because it is pious or is it pious because they love it?”. Euthyphro replies that they love it because it is pious.
Meanwhile messengers had been sent to Athens to inquire of the interpreters of religious concerning what should be done with the man. By the time the messengers returned the criminal had died from hunger and exposure. Euthyphro was willing to prosecute his father to cleanse himself and his family from the religious pollution caused by the murder. What is piety?” Socrates asked Euthyphro to answer. He asked Euthyphro this question to test his intellect and she if he is indeed as smart as he claims.
This leading into the definitions of piety. The first definition that Euthyphro suggests to Socrates is that piety is persecuting religious offenders. However, Socrates is not satisfied with this response because there are many pious actions that do not involve persecution. (page 5 e) The second definition that Euthyphro suggests is that piety is what is dear to the gods, and that what some gods may agree on, others may not agree on. Thus saying that what is pious may be not pious concluding in a contradiction.
Socrates then realized why the Oracle said he was most wise because he knew that he did not have this wisdom. Those that thought they did do not at all because it is only the God who is truly wise and Human wisdom is basically worthless. “The wisest amongst you, human beings, is anyone like Socrates who has recognized that with respect to wisdom he is truly worthless.” (23b) Socrates is separated from most because he does not claim to have a knowledge of value, he is not ignorant of his ignorance. Socrates first defends himself against Meletus’ charge of corrupting the youth by bringing him into question in front of the court. He proves Meletus wrong by showing how he cannot be the only person that is corrupting the youth while others improve the youth.
He does not listen to Teiresias’ warning. Teiresias tells Creon to make right of his abuse of power by granting proper burial rights and freeing Antigone from her impending death. Teiresias warns Creon that his corruption, stubbornness, and disregard for citizen’s rights is an abuse of his power. Because Teiresias is always right, Creon eventually decides to listen to him. This conflict proves the quote true because Creon disrespects the gods because of his new power.
At the age of 18 he became an Athens citizen and had more rights. He learned from many great speakers of his time, but ultimately found that he had a way of thinking all his own. After becoming a teacher of many, Athens started to fear and hate Socrates for the thought that he was “Poisoning their children’s mind”. At the trial of the century the prosecutors, Meletus, Lycon, and Anytus faced Socrates. Socrates spoke to the jurors that he had done nothing wrong and that he leaves his fate in the Athens god and in the people of the jury.
Sophists were skilled in elaborate argumentation; were they would try and make the argument they were focusing on the stronger side, even if it was wrong or weaker. This often made them seem devious as they were working only for the benefit of themselves and their students, who were aiming to become high profile speakers or politicians. Socrates was unlike this in that his main focus was not on argumentation or speaking, he rather focused on questioning virtues to understand morals and ethics. He believed that all opinions were valid which also opposed the views of the Sophists who assumed that the wisest of people were genuinely correct and only they had the ability to teach. The main goal of socrates was unlike that of the sophists.
In order to not undermine Odysseus’ victory Brown seeks to argue that the “unquenchable laughter” is not a compromise of Hephaestus or Odysseus’ victories. Brown would like to disprove the analysis that the laughing is amoral but rather that it’s highly moral in exposing and punishing adultery—he does this through offering context and examples in other literature and Greek history where this is true. In terms of presenting evidence, there are some instances in which Brown shows the relevance of the evidence presented to his argument through other examples in Greek literature. For example, when Brown references the reception of the passage containing “uncontrollable laughter” which is considered good-humored in the Iliad, he explains that the preoccupations of the Iliad and the Odyssey are different and thus should be interpreted differently since The Odyssey “is more preoccupied with the question of justice.” (287) In this instance, he draws this idea back to his original argument that the laughter is “serious” with a reinforcing statement, “Rather than
Epicurus fails to define the boundaries of moral virtue, merely stating there could be harmful consequences without specific definition, Epicurus ultimately fails to develop a strong moral program. Aristotle questions the morality of pleasure and peoples’ intentions. He insists that there are other pleasures besides those of the senses, and that the best pleasures are the ones experienced by virtuous people who have sufficient resources for excellent activity such as the “man who has been educated in a subject and there for her is a good judge of that subject” (25). The philosopher states that pleasure is not to be desired for its own sake but rather that it stimulate the action of a healthy nature. He specifically argues that, “happiness must be explained in terms of reason…happiness depends on the actualization—the full realization—of one’s rationality” (22).
Reflection #1 Entry #1: Euthyphro In the Euthyphro, Socrates and Euthyphro are having a discussion about Euthyphro prosecuting his own father. Throughout their conversation, Socrates asks Euthyphro a lot of different questions trying to understand why Euthyphro is prosecuting his own father. Euthyphro defended himself by saying it is what is right, and that it doesn’t matter if the one is he prosecuting is a stranger or a relative, he is still a murderer. Euthyphro then gets into a discussion about what is holy and unholy, which Socrates has many questions about, but never gets a straight answer from Euthyphro. By the end of the story, Euthyphro says he has to be somewhere and just leaves Socrates, never fully answering his questions about what is holy.