Introduction
Socrates distinct himself from the definition of what is pious, a state of being piety. With different view from Euthyphro, Socrates believes that the definition of pious is “what is dear to gods” rather than prosecuting wrongdoers using the proof from the traditional stories, this is according to Euthyphro. Socrates first argues that if the traditional stories are followed to achieve justice, they could lead to biased results. This is because “if it is true that gods quarrel about justice among themselves, then what some god’s love, others must hate. Socrates therefore argues that not all things that are loved by gods are pious; they can be rather defined as loved. It is therefore clear that Euthyphro is questionable due to fact that Euthyphro and Socrates would never come to agreement on the nature of piety.
In the Socrates’ argument he believed that there two parts of justice, roughly “care of gods” and “care of men.” However, this does not stand to be a reason that we can do anything for God. Therefore it does not mean that care of the gods should be of benefits to the gods and make them better. For this reason we cannot make a firm stand on Euthyphro’s view of piety as a kind of barter trade between people and God. According to Socrates, the view that we as human being we can do to benefit God is impious.
The staples forms of piety are known to be prayers and sacrifices. However, they are not beneficial to God. In real sense, there is nothing we can do to have an acknowledgement to God. God already knows that He is a Supreme Being, omnipresent and can give us everything good we require, this means He is the provider upon the human being. If thanksgiving, worship, belief in God, prayers and praise are really beneficially at all, Socrates believes they are only beneficial to the believers. These really become disturbing terrains among us, especially as the implication of the view emerge.
Remember the two parts of justice care of our fellows and care of God. In sense, if we can do nothing to benefit God, this including neither having faith in God nor acknowledging God’s presence then this therefor declare that the first part of justice is totally empty. There is nothing we can do to care and appreciate for God. God doesn’t need or want anything from us. We may have here a forerunner of the principle that God, in order to be God, must be all-powerful and self-sufficient. In any case, the view that we can do nothing to benefit God is pivotal.
According to Socrates, he believes that if we are to help God in any way we must help God in His work. We must be like the slaves or servants of a master. According to Socrates the best God’s work we can do is to say that many fine things are the work of God. Socrates characteristically presses for the important, unifying feature of all these things and Euthyphro cannot give him one. The divine work that we are to help God with cannot be designed to benefit God rather it was to benefit God’s creation or in terms of Euthyphro, to aid the fellow men. In conclusion, piety reduces to morality. But what pleases God is the application of the other part of justice; lives lived to help other fellow men.
In Socrates’ conclusion which squares nicely, our confidence in our beliefs about the good life which in deal is contrary as we all think? This becomes the main obstacle to human fulfillment. Therefor the life of gadfly will be the life lived to help our fellow humans. Nevertheless of how much everyone dislikes being examined about our lives and the beliefs we base them on, this examination that will be of greater benefit. The life of dialogue is the pious life. According to Socrates, no one can escape the persuasive force of our own beliefs and of the arguments that convince us.
Conclusion
Socrates argues that because human are not in a position to please their God, all what they can do to be pious is having moral conduct. Therefore, according to the Socratic conception of piety as illustrated by Euthyphro, morality- showing cares to our fellows. The rational argumentation with the method of Logos can result into findings that give insight on the nature of piety that have been understood in the choice of philosophical expertise.
In a nutshell, the understanding of the Socrates view of piety is very important to many people, especially students. By the understanding and grasping of this Socrates view of piety, some learners would engage I a position to prosecute Socrates for impiety and undignified the young. Other people would evade the argument by Socrates and attempt to determine what they can do for all-powerful God. Other learners could be wondering whether there is existence of genuine piety without hypothetical convictions. Consequently, deep and important question about nature
