Euthyphro's definitions of piety

In Plato’s Dialogues, specifically the one that includes an exchange between Socrates and Euthyphro, Socrates is responding to Euthyphro’s third definitions: Piety is what is loved by all the gods; impiety is what all the gods hate (Plato 75). Socrates questions whether something is pious because it is loved by the gods or is it pious because the gods love it. Socrates argues that Euthyphro gets the definition the wrong way around. The gods love pious behavior. Behavior is not pious just because the gods love it. Piety is the quality of the behavior or action that the gods love. Being loved by the gods is not a requirement for behavior or action to be consider pious.

In Divine Command theory, only actions commanded by god are pious actions. In other words, if a person performs an act that is not commanded by god, no matter how much good the act does toward his/her fellow human beings, it would not be considered a pious act. The problem with this theory is that a person could misunderstand what it means to be pious. For instance, since there are a limited number of commandments in the Judeo-Christian religions, a person may think that is all that they have to follow to be in good standing with god. That means if they did not swear, lie, murder, steal, commit adultery, or worship idols and honored their parents and attended regular religious services, that would be all they were required to do to be considered pious. This list leaves out some major ethical lapses though such as cheating on taxes or tests, exacting revenge on enemies, neglecting one’s financial responsibilities, and a whole host of other “gray area” behavior that some people consider to be unethical or immoral that would make a person not be considered pious.

Work Cited

Plato. Plato's Dialogues. n.d.

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