Plato wrote four dialogues set around the trial and death of Socrates. Socrates was charged with heresy and corrupting the minds of the young and was eventually given the death sentence after the court found him guilty. Euthyphro, one of these dialogues, is set outside the court-house just before trial, where Socrates encounters Euthyphro- a self described expert on piety. Since the charges against Socrates fall in the category of impiety, Socrates engages him on the issue of piety.
The big question from Scrates is this: Is something pious or holy because it is approved of by the gods, or is something approved by the gods because it is pious (holy)? Euthyphro could not answer the question, so he argued that piety was a kind of justice, whereby we would seek to gratify the gods. But, as Socrates points out, does something gratify the gods because it is pious (holy), or is it pious (holy) because it gratifies the gods? Reason alone shows piety to be elusive. If Man, by his reason cannot determine what is truly pious, how can men judge Socrates for impiety?
In the other dialogues we learn more of Socrates ideas of the afterlife. After death a person is judged and receives a new life (life form) to learn from the mistakes or unjust deeds of their past. And yet, my question (not Socrates) is, how is one to learn true piety and justice? From Socrates own reasoning, we cannot and man is doomed to the eternal cycle, with no hope, no vindication, no Savior.
This is the similarity between atheistic and polytheistic religions/thought: there is no real justice, only a struggle in this life over whose justice is followed and no hope for any good or satisfying End.
The big question from Scrates is this: Is something pious or holy because it is approved of by the gods, or is something approved by the gods because it is pious (holy)? Euthyphro could not answer the question, so he argued that piety was a kind of justice, whereby we would seek to gratify the gods. But, as Socrates points out, does something gratify the gods because it is pious (holy), or is it pious (holy) because it gratifies the gods? Reason alone shows piety to be elusive. If Man, by his reason cannot determine what is truly pious, how can men judge Socrates for impiety?
In the other dialogues we learn more of Socrates ideas of the afterlife. After death a person is judged and receives a new life (life form) to learn from the mistakes or unjust deeds of their past. And yet, my question (not Socrates) is, how is one to learn true piety and justice? From Socrates own reasoning, we cannot and man is doomed to the eternal cycle, with no hope, no vindication, no Savior.
This is the similarity between atheistic and polytheistic religions/thought: there is no real justice, only a struggle in this life over whose justice is followed and no hope for any good or satisfying End.
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