When reading Socrates' questions in the Euthyphro, it struck me that the Romans don't actually have a standard for morality. After all, as Socrates says, the gods disagree with each other on what's right and wrong, they fight constantly and force men to commit things that human standards call wrong. They cannot be a basis for piety. Men's actions cannot be the central idea of piety either, as they also contradict each other perhaps even more than the gods. None of Socrates' questions can be answered by Euthyphro because neither man has a basis for truth. Everything really is just thought to these philosophers. Maybe this is going against the entire point of philosophy, but every question of Socrates seems to center around the constant unanswered question, "What is truth?" And in the spirit of philosophy, without Christ, I suppose that's a question that is left hanging by Plato....
P.S. Commented on Jamie Kilpatrick's "Morality, Justice, and Grace."
As far as we've gotten in Honors, every question hovers around "what is truth?" Once we get into The Republic though, we'll find that Socrates is searching for something much higher than truth. He is searching for "The Good" which encompasses truth, virtue, justice, and many other things! Socrates is unconcerned with what others think, for the most part at least. He has a higher goal in mind and that is what he strives to find every time he enters into a new dialogue.
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what I thought when I read Euthyphro. Two things actually, that our honors class would have a field day with Euthyphro, and that I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for Socrates and Euthyphro in their discussion. Without sounding super spiritual, we as Christians have the absolute standard for truth that so many philosophers sought after for ages. I did find it interesting however, that in Roman society as well as others, this same dilemma must be encountered at one point or another if there is to be any semblance of a justice system. I would wonder how on earth they would actually establish right and wrong, just and unjust without any absolute standard from which to reference from.
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