The setting for Plato’s early dialog, Euthyphro, is in front of the offices of the magistrate who has registered and will make preliminary inquiries into the serious charges levied against Socrates for the crime of “impiety.” In an effort to prepare himself for the trial, Socrates questions a young man he knows, who claims to have had a lot of spiritual experience, in an effort to understand the nature of piety. Along with a number of interesting points, their interaction exposes what has since become one of the key questions of the Platonic tradition: is what we call “piety” loved by the gods because it is pious, or is “piety” pious simply because it is loved by the gods? What is it that draws us toward the sacred, the sacred itself? or what we think the gods/God/others are drawn to as sacred? We’ll spend some time discussing this subtle question, called the “Euthyphro dilemma”, and try to translate it into language that appeals to more modern sensibilities. Along the way, we’ll see how this question opens a door to the whole Platonic worldview and get a glimpse of how much Platonism influenced subsequent religious ideas.
No previous experience of formal philosophy is required.
Entrance in free, but donations between £3-5 will be welcomed.
A PDF download of the extract we will be reading is available on our website together with further details of this and other Prometheus Trust’s activities: www.prometheustrust.co.uk (the PDF is on the “London Monday Evenings” page.)
