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You are not required to read the entire dialogue

Philosophy

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You are not required to read the entire dialogue. After you have read through the instructions below, you will get a better idea of what you are looking for. In general, you do not have to read past section 10a (although doing so will certainly help you).

2. Essay Part I: Socratic Method.

• Provide a summary of the structure of the dialogue (1-2 pages). This is not a book report. We don't care what happens in the dialogue, we care about why Socrates and Euthyphro keep changing the definition of 'piety'.  Briefly explain how the discussion develops. Restate each of Euthyphro’s attempted definitions of piety in your own words. Hint: 1st definition occurs right before 5e, 2nd definition is right before 7a, and 3rd occurs at 9e.

3. Essay Part II: Critical Essay (3 - 4 pages)

Write a response to one of the following:

• In this dialogue, Socrates ends at the beginning. Why doesn’t he just give an answer to the question ‘what is piety’? What does this say about Socrates’ quest for truth? Can truth ever be found? If not, should we just be relativists or skeptics?
• How do you understand Euthyphro’s dilemma? Evaluate both horns of the dilemma, and determine which one has more justification. Provide reasons why.

Additional Resources:

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on 'Divine Command Theory' which has a couple of subsections on the Euthyphro dilemma.

S. Marc Cohen's article "Socrates' Definition of Piety: Euthyphro 10A - 11B".