Euthyphro

In ancient Greece, religion was interwoven with all aspects of personal and civic life. Greek polytheism included belief in a myriad of gods embodying the planets and elements and abstract qualities like justice and wisdom. The government considered belief in the gods to be necessary for the state to function properly, and ordinary citizens looked to the gods for help in their personal lives and believed that they responded to prayers and acts of worship.

The central idea of “Euthyphro” is the search for a definition of holiness. The idea of holiness may also be expressed by the English word “piety,” defined in Merriam Webster’s both as “reverence for God or devout fulfillment of religious obligations” and “dutiful respect or regard for parents, homeland, etc.” Both definitions are relevant to the dialogue. Euthyphro seeks to fulfill his religious duty by punishing a moral wrong, and thus satisfy the gods. However, because the crime was committed by his father, religious piety comes into conflict with filial piety. To complicate matters, the death of the servant was not a straightforward homicide but was partly the result of neglect, and the dead man was himself guilty of murder. Thus, the case turns out to be more complex than Euthyphro thinks at first.