Euthyphro

Plato, 427？ BCE-347？ BCEProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.4

Word count: 50K words
Chapters: 6

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Euthyphro by PlatoAuthor: Plato, 427? BCE-347? BCE,Language: English, Class: PA: Language and Literatures: Classical Languages and Literature, Release Date: Feb 1, 1999

Editor's review

Euthyphro is a short yet highly charged early Platonic dialogue centered on the question “What is piety?” Socrates meets Euthyphro outside the court, where Euthyphro is about to prosecute his father for impiety, and the two set out to define piety. Its strength lies in the successive failure of definitional attempts: readers see firsthand how Socratic questioning dismantles answers that seem self-evident and distinguishes “what the gods love” from “piety itself.” It offers no conclusion but trains conceptual analysis: what happens when examples replace definitions and authority replaces reasons. The English edition is published by Project Gutenberg; its language is more accessible than that of other Platonic dialogues, making it suitable as an introduction to philosophy or for close reading of a classic. It suits classroom discussion, line-by-line analysis in reading groups, and self-learners practicing questioning and refutation. It is short but rewards repeated reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers new to Platonic dialogues who need a short introductory philosophical text
Those interested in definitional problems, conceptual analysis, and the Socratic method of questioning
Students and teachers who need a discussion text for philosophy, law, or ethics courses
Readers who want to practice close reading and argument analysis with a short English public-domain work

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a systematic history of philosophy or clear conclusions
Those who want only narrative works and lack patience for argument in dialogue form
Readers new to English reading who struggle with abstract concepts and rhetorical questions

Reading tips

On a first pass, follow the flow of the dialogue; on a second, mark each definitional attempt and the reasons it is refuted.
After reading, write in your own words two possible definitions of piety and list the difficulties of each.
With a class or reading group, assign roles of Socrates and Euthyphro to experience how the questioning proceeds.
Note the distinction between “loved by the gods” and “piety” and connect it to everyday disputes where examples and definitions are conflated.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can I understand this dialogue without a philosophy background?

Yes. It is short, the setting is concrete, and the core is repeated questioning of a single concept. On a first reading, do not aim to grasp every argumentative detail; simply understand why each answer is questioned. A second reading that maps definitions to refutations will be more rewarding.

What is the core question of this dialogue?

The core question is “What is piety?” Euthyphro answers with specific examples and with “what the gods love,” while Socrates asks whether piety is loved by the gods because it is pious, or pious because it is loved. The dialogue gives no final definition; its point is to show the difficulty of definition and the method of questioning.

How difficult is the English edition?

Compared with Plato’s longer middle-period dialogues, the sentences are shorter, the setting is clear, and the barrier to entry is lower. But there are many abstract concepts and rhetorical questions, so read slowly and mark each definitional attempt. If it feels hard, read a Chinese translation first for the argument’s skeleton, then return to the English for close reading of key passages.

How can it be used in a classroom or reading group?

It suits paragraph-by-paragraph discussion: first have students summarize each of Euthyphro’s answers, then identify Socrates’ objections, and finally discuss whether examples can replace definitions. It is short enough to cover in one class or one reading-group session, and also works for role-play reading to appreciate the rhythm of the dialogue.

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About the author

Plato, 427？ BCE-347？ BCE Author

Plato (c. 427–347 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher. Reliable details of his life are limited in public sources, and his thought and writings are generally known through later accounts. The library holds 65 of his works, including the multi-volume Republic (Πολιτεία), the Symposium, and the Phaedo. These works are mostly dialogues with Socrates as the central figure, unfolding through question and answer around justice, the governance of the city, love, the soul, and knowledge, combining philosophical inquiry with dramatic literary form. The Republic, which discusses the ideal city and justice, is especially influential. Plato's style is marked by analogy, argument, and open-ended conclusions, and he has had a lasting influence on later Western philosophy and political thought.