Plato, three Socratic Dialogues - Essay Example

Socrates four dialogues Euthyphro is one of the major philosophical works of Plato where he expounds on the philosophy of Socrates, another great philosopher. Euthyphro is in the form of dialogues between two people who try to establish the concept and aim of piety and religion. The two people Euthyphro and Socrates meet each other at King Archon’s court. Euthyphro goes to court to implicate his father in a murder case whereas Socrates is there because he is accused of corrupting the young generation by his impiety.

The interrogative dialogues raise three pertinent views regarding piety and impiety. Euthyphro is aghast that a wise man like Socrates is being tried for corrupting the young ones and tells him that people do not like others to spread wisdom and are jealous of people who are wise. The two start talking and in the ensuing dialogues Socrates asks Euthyphro to explain the concept of piety. Euthyphro replies that piety is fighting for justice as he is doing by prosecuting his father for a murder.

He laments the fact that he is hated for his action by the people although those very people have high regards for Zeus, the king of Gods, even though Zeus had punished his father (Kronos) for devouring his sons! When further pressed for the definition of piety, Euthyphro tells Socrates that whatever is held dear to God is pious and what is not dear to God is impious. He further said that even Gods have enmities and differences. Socrates counters that argument by telling that what may be liked by one God may not necessarily true for another God.

Hence difference of opinion may account for the enmities and hatred between Gods and people. He asserts that everyone likes just and honourable things or persons and dislike the opposite. But it is the difference of opinions that brings about enmities and hatred. When Socrates is still not satisfied with the definition of piety, Euthyphro finally says that everything that Gods love is pious and holy and the things or persons they hate is impious and unholy. Socrates confused Euthyphro by questioning whether Gods loved things because they were pious or things were pious because Gods loved them?

The dialogues, in the form of questions and answers, between the two are especially relevant even today because they establish the credibility of questions as an important means to reach towards a correct and justified answer. In simple words, the questions make us thinks about the different aspects of the problems and help us to come to a right conclusion. Socrates was a great philosopher who believed that interrogation of existing values and beliefs helped to strengthen rather than weaken the values and beliefs among the people.