Determining What is Good
A day before his execution, Socrates is visited in prison by his friend Crito to try and convince him to escape. Crito tells Socrates that if he is executed people will think that Crito could have helped Socrates if he was willing to give money but he did not care. Crito says that people will think he values money more than a friend’s life since no one will believe he tried to convince Socrates to escape, and he refused. Socrates tells Critos that the opinions of many people do not matter. Socrates says that the only the only people worth considering are good men, and they will see the event as it truly was.
Critos answers Socrates and tells him that the opinions of many people have to be considered since they can make do the evil of tarnishing a person’s good reputation. Socrates answers by saying that if they could do evil they could also do well. He says that the truth of whatever the opinions of many does is a result of chance. Critos keeps trying to persuade Socrates to escape before it was too late.
Socrates replies by saying that Socrates zeal was invaluable but only if it was the right one if his zeal was wrong the greater the evil. Therefore, they had to consider if the things had to be done or not. Socrates says he has always been guided by reason to choose the best decisions no matter the situation he faces. Socrates says “and now that this fortune has come to me, I cannot put away the reasons which I have before given (Socrates, 1994).” Socrates tells Critos that he is unlikely to agree with him since he still adheres to the principle he previously honored unless he finds other and better principles on that instant.
Socrates says that the matters of just and unjust, fair and foul, and good and evil need to be evaluated separately. He asks Critos which opinion needs to be followed and feared regarding these issues; the opinions of the multitudes or the opinions of one man who has a proper understanding of the matters. Socrates says that he does not believe in retaliating to evil using evil. He also agrees with Critos that a man needs to do what he admits to being right and not betray his principles.
Defining the Nature of Piety or Justice
Socrates was talking to Euthyphro about their cases when Euthyphro told him that he was prosecuting his father for murder. Socrates presumed that if he was prosecuting his father for murder, then it must be because his father murdered one of their relatives. Euthyphro answered Socrates saying he was amused at him differentiating between stranger and relative since the crime was the same in either case.
Euthyphro says the only thing that matters is whether the murder was just or not. Euthyphro goes ahead to explain to Socrates that his father had murdered a laborer who worked for him during a drunk quarrel. His father tied the servant’s hand and feet threw him in a ditch and sent for his diviner to ask what he should do with the servant. All this time he never attended to the servant who died of hunger, cold, and chains on him before the messenger could return from the diviner. Euthyphro’s family say that his father did not kill the laborer and if he did the laborer was a murderer, and the issue should not be followed. As such, Euthyphro is impious in prosecuting his father.
Socrates asks Euthyphro if his knowledge in religion and all things pious and impious is so great that he is not afraid if the matter is indeed as it is he is not afraid he might be doing something impious in bringing the action against his father. Euthyphro says that he has exact knowledge of such matters, and that is what distinguishes him from Socrates and other men. Socrates asks Euthyphro to educate him piety and impiety and acts against gods like murder off which Euthyphro was an expert. Euthyphro tells Socrates that piety is prosecuting anyone who was guilty of crimes regardless of whether it is your father or mother. He gives the example of Zeus as the most righteous god took action against his father Cronos for devouring his sons and who also punished his father for the same reasons. Impiety is letting anyone guilty of wrongdoing go unpunished.
Socrates asks for a more precise answer like a standard that can be used to measure pious an impious actions saying that Euthyphro had only given examples of what he had done. Euthophryo says, “Piety is what is dear to the gods and impiety is that which is not dear to them (Socrates, 1994).” Socrates says that men differ over different reasons and are quick to settle the differences that can be tested by evaluating them and coming to an agreement. However, Socrates notes that the differences that cannot be settled are the ones that cause enmity among men. He says that these enmities rise from differences in cases involving contentious issues such as morality, honor and justice. Euthyphro agrees with Socrates on this fact. Of which Socrates further states that the gods’ quarrels are of like nature and Euthyphro concurs. Socrates says, “They have differences of opinion as you say, about good and evil, just and unjust, honorable and dishonorable; there would be no quarrel between them if there had been no such differences (Socrates, 1994).” Socrates says gods just like men love what is noble and hate what is not and dispute over what is just and what is not and so fighting arise among them. Pious and impious things that arise are also based on this view.
Socrates tells Euthyphro that him prosecuting his father is agreeable with Zeus but is disagreeable with Cronos and Uranus. Euthyphro tries to argue his case saying all gods would have similar opinion concerning punishing a murderer. To which Socrates answers no man either has ever been heard saying that an evildoer should be let go. Socrates gives Euthyphro his father situations and asks how can he prove that the gods would want the master of a dead servant who dies in chains while the master is waiting for interpretation from the gods on what actions to take dies unjustly on prosecution from his son. Euthyphros agrees that it would be difficult to prove it. Socrates goes ahead to amend the definition to “What all gods hate is impious, and what they love pious or holy but what some of them love and what other hate is both or neither (Socrates, 1994).” Euthyphros agrees to this new definition.
Positive Teachings from Socrates Apology
Socrates in his apology says that he went to seek a man wiser than him to take to the god who said he was the wisest man to prove this was not true. He went to a politician who had a reputation of wisdom an observed him. He saw the man was not wise, although people thought him to be wise, and he saw himself wiser. When Socrates explained to him why he thought he was wise yet he was not, the politician hated him and all those present to witness it shared the (Socrates, 1994). From this, we can see that nobody likes to hear the truth about themselves especially when the truth lowers their status. People will also share in the opinions of other people they believe to be wiser than them without reasoning.
Socrates also says that he found various poets and artisans who knew many things that he was ignorant of, but because they were good at their trade, they thought they knew all sort of high matters. This shows that although you may get people who are knowledgeable in a certain matter, they tend to assume that they have knowledge in everything. Nobody is ever truly wise as they think themselves to be. From Socrates metaphor of the horse and horse trainer, we see that only one person few people with the knowledge of what they are doing can improve the world. The majority of people do not have any knowledge and only do harm.
References
Socrates. (1994). Crito. The Internet classics archive. Retrieved 8 April 2016, from http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/crito.html
Socrates. (1994). Euthyphro. Retrieved April 8, 2016, from http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/euthyfro.html
Socrates. (1994). Apology. Retrieved April 8, 2016, from http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/apology.html
