A man named Socrates asks a question. He wants to know what is good. He talks to a man named Euthyphro. They talk about what gods like. It is a very old story. Do you like to ask questions?
A man named Socrates meets Euthyphro. They meet at a court. Socrates has a trial soon. Euthyphro is there for a trial too. He is suing his own father. Socrates asks him a big question. What is a holy act? Euthyphro has many ideas. He says holy acts please the gods. Socrates asks a tricky question. Do gods love things because they are holy? Or are things holy because gods love them? They do not find an answer. This old story makes people think a lot today.
Long ago in Athens, a man named Socrates met Euthyphro. They met outside a court. Socrates was waiting for a trial. He was accused of impiety. Impiety means not showing proper respect to the gods. Euthyphro was also at the court. He was there to sue his own father. This was a very big deal. Most people thought a son should not sue his father.
Socrates wanted to learn about piety. He asked Euthyphro to define it. Euthyphro gave many answers. One idea was that piety is what the gods love. This led to a famous problem. Socrates asked a hard question. Is something good because the gods love it? Or do the gods love it because it is already good? This is called the Euthyphro dilemma.
Euthyphro and Socrates could not agree. They did not find a final answer. This short talk is still famous today. It makes thinkers study how we know what is right. Many people have used this story to talk about faith and rules.
The *Euthyphro* is a famous piece of writing by the Greek philosopher Plato.
It is written as a Socratic dialogue. This means it shows a conversation between two people. One person is Socrates, a well-known thinker from Athens. The other is Euthyphro, a man who claims to be a prophet. The story takes place in 399 BC. Socrates is waiting outside a court near the Porch of the King Archon. He is there for a preliminary hearing regarding his own trial. He faces charges of impiety, which means not respecting the gods correctly.
In this dialogue, the two men try to define what piety is.
Euthyphro is at the court for a very different reason. He is prosecuting his own elderly father for a crime. His father had a worker on his land in Naxos. The worker died after being left in chains. Euthyphro believes this act was wrong and must be punished. Socrates is surprised by this because many people thought a son should not sue his father. Socrates asks Euthyphro to explain what makes an action pious. He hopes to use a good definition to help his own legal defense.
Euthyphro offers several different definitions during their talk.
First, he says piety is just doing what he is doing. Socrates says this is only an example, not a real definition. Next, Euthyphro suggests piety is what pleases the gods. Socrates points out that gods often disagree with each other. This means an action could be both pious and impious at once. Then, Euthyphro says piety is what all the gods love. This leads to a very famous problem called the Euthyphro dilemma. Socrates asks if the gods love something because it is already pious. Or, is it pious only because the gods love it?
This dilemma has caused huge debates for a very long time.
It touches on ethics and how we understand religion. Some thinkers argue about whether things are good on their own. Others wonder if goodness comes from what a divine being wants. The dialogue ends without a clear answer or a final conclusion. Euthyphro eventually leaves because he is in a rush. Socrates is left feeling that he has learned nothing helpful. This "aporetic" ending means the conversation ends in a state of wonder or confusion.
People have studied this text for thousands of years.
In ancient times, some thought Euthyphro was a made-up character. This might have been a way for Plato to talk about religion safely. Many scholars have translated the work into different languages. It was translated into Armenian in the 11th century. Later, people like Marsilio Ficino translated it into Latin. Even today, philosophers and theologians still discuss these big ideas. The *Euthyphro* remains a key way for people to start learning about Plato's deep thoughts.
The *Euthyphro* is a philosophical work written by the Greek philosopher Plato.
It is written as a Socratic dialogue. This is a literary form that presents a conversation between two characters. The dialogue takes place in 399 BC in Athens. The setting is near the Porch of the King Archon. Here, the philosopher Socrates is waiting for a preliminary hearing. He is facing a trial for impiety, which means a lack of respect for the gods.
In this dialogue, Socrates meets a man named Euthyphro. Euthyphro is a prophet in his mid-forties from Prospalta. He is at the court to prosecute his own elderly father for murder. The incident involved a worker on land located on the island of Naxos. Euthyphro believes this prosecution is a pious act. Because Euthyphro claims to be an expert on divine matters, Socrates asks him for help. Socrates wants a clear definition of piety to use in his own legal defense.
Euthyphro attempts to define piety through several different stages of reasoning. His first definition is simply the act of prosecuting a wrongdoer. Socrates rejects this because it is merely an example. He argues that a definition must provide the essential characteristic of all pious acts. Euthyphro then suggests that piety is what is pleasing to the gods. Socrates points out a flaw in this logic. Since gods often disagree, an action could be both pious and impious at the same time.
The conversation reaches a critical point with the third definition. Euthyphro claims that what all the gods love is pious. This leads to the famous Euthyphro dilemma. Socrates asks: "Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious? Or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?" This question explores whether goodness exists independently or if it depends on divine approval. If something is pious because gods love it, then piety is arbitrary. If gods love it because it is already pious, then piety exists on its own.
Euthyphro tries again by suggesting piety is a part of justice. He also suggests that piety involves looking after the gods. Socrates objects to this idea of "looking after" the gods. He argues that if humans could make a god better, it would be an act of hubris. Hubris is a dangerous human emotion that the Greek gods frowned upon. Finally, Euthyphro proposes that piety is the knowledge of correct sacrifices and prayers. Socrates notes this sounds like a form of commerce or a trade between humans and deities.
The dialogue ends in an aporetic state, meaning it reaches no final conclusion. Euthyphro becomes in a rush and leaves the conversation. Socrates is left without the definition he needed for his trial. This text has a long history of study and criticism. In antiquity, some believed Euthyphro was a fictitious character. The scholar Numenius of Apamea suggested Plato used a fake character to critique Athenian religion safely. This might have helped Plato avoid the same fate as Socrates.
Throughout history, many scholars have preserved and translated this work. An Armenian translation exists from the 11th century. In the 1400s, scholars like Francesco Filelfo and Marsilio Ficino produced Latin translations. The first printed Greek edition appeared in Venice in 1513. Even in modern times, the Euthyphro dilemma remains a central topic. Philosophers and theologians still debate the connection between morality and the divine. It remains one of the most important introductions to Platonic thought.
Where will your curiosity go next?
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.