This civil debate between Euthyphro and Socrates intrigues me as they try to find the true meaning of piety or righteousness. The main point started with why they were there and concluded with what is moral for the gods and for men. One line that stuck out to me is on page 19 Socartes says , " I prefer nothing , unless it is true." Just like this converstaion if we question everything to the core of our ethics and morals then we will always question and never have answers. All of their thoughts are self-determined and have no clear eveidnece as Socrates continues to ask and think when will Euthyphro will give a example. They question the difference of something be loved and something being loving and the intertwine of fear and shame. Which with all the wording made me go back over it a million times. Yet Socrates and Euthyphro do as well because there is no absolute source except for their own thoughts.
So how can we take this and apply it? We have to find a base for what determines what is pious and what is impious. For many it is Christianity or another form of religion. These religions have a main text that explains the rights and wrong and how one should judge. There are other bases such as media, different culutures, and etc. We have to find the truth or nothing is what we will be stuck with just like Socrates.
I commented on Ethan's and Charis's post.
I agree that we need to be on the search for truth, but I don't necessarily think we're stuck with nothing if we don't have it all figured out. In the case of Euthyphro, he knows what he believes... Socrates certainly poked some holes in it, but not ones that told him what he believed was entirely wrong, rather, that his reasoning for WHY he believes what he believes was weak and easily dismantled. Socrates doesn't tell Euthyphro that he is wrong, he just says that his reasons aren't solid enough to be undoubtedly proven right.
ReplyDeleteI like what Jessica says there at the end..."he just says that his reasons aren't solid enough to be undoubtedly proven right." I think you are pointed in the right direction. Who is Socrates to question his Athenian belief system? Should he not just accept it for what it is? As Christians it is easy to say that other religions should question their beliefs, because we claim to be Truth (rightly so but bear with me)...but when it comes to our own questioning, should we just "take our Bible's word for it"? Or does questioning/reasoning have a place in spiritual faith? Through other works of Socrates, he is able to prove the existence of a Supreme Being through reason which brings us directly to the foot of spirituality, and essentially, Christianity. If truth is objective, truth will prove itself true, no matter what questioning and testing it is put to.
ReplyDelete