Could we ever create a "dictionary definition" of piety that would be satisfying to Socrates? Is piety the type of thing which can be defined by criteria? (If so, what are the criteria? If not, why not?)
9/11/2007
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Could we ever create a "dictionary definition" of piety that would be satisfying to Socrates? Is piety the type of thing which can be defined by criteria? (If so, what are the criteria? If not, why not?)
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Prompt:
Could we ever create a “dictionary definition” of piety that would be satisfying to Socrates? Is piety the type of thing, which can be defined by criteria? (If so, what are the criteria? If not, why not?)
No, because what Socrates is looking for is a definition that can be applied to every type of situation that involves justice and doing what is right, and it is impractical that such a definition can ever be found—one that suitably fits every situation that will have something to do with integrity and righteousness. I think that piety is something that can’t be defined by criteria because there can never be a scale for something as complex as piety because its definition differs from person to person. For example, in Euthyphro Euthyphro is executing his father for a murder that he committed. Some people might think that this is wrong because they might feel that its wrong for a progeny to punish the parent, no matter what the case may be, whether it be murder or stealing. Because some people might believe that blood is the strongest form of bond a person can have and that you should never turn your back on family, because to them, that is the definition of piety—to always protect and take care of your family, even when they do something remorseful like murder.
But others might feel that yes, Euthyphro is doing the right thing because crime is crime, no matter who committed it, whether it be your father or a stranger you’ve never seen before, and that the felon should be punished.
So, there really can’t be an exact, specific, explicit definition to what piety really means because the meaning will differ from situation to situation, from one point of view to another. And sometimes, people’s thoughts on piety will be influenced by others, sometimes changing their entire viewpoint on what they think piety really means. They might’ve thought that piety means following the exact orders of the law, but after hearing someone else’s beliefs on piety, they might think otherwise and change their perception, because they might think they were wrong before. They might think, “Oh, well, now that you’ve explained it like that, maybe I was wrong…”
For example, on pages 9b to 11d, Socrates questions Euthyphro’s definition of piety- “An action or a man dear to the Gods is pious, but an action or a man hated by the Gods is impious.” What surprised me was when Socrates said, “…what is loved by the gods is also hated by them…” because it made me realize that what would happen if all the gods didn’t agree upon the same thing? What if one thought that the action taken by Euthyphro was fair and another thought it was cruel and merciless? Then it would be loved by one god, and hated by another. Because the gods can also have arguments over what is righteous and what is not because who is to say that they do not disagree and quarrel upon such things? People might believe that all gods always agree on the same thing, but there is no definite proof that they don’t.
And it is because of this that I realized that no, there can never be a dictionary definition that will satisfy Socrates because according to Euthyphro’s definition, Socrates thinks what is pious can also be impious because what some of the gods love could also be hated by the other gods. One god might think Euthyphro punishing his father is wrong because people make mistakes, and that they should get a second chance. But another god might think no, Euthyphro is doing right because all criminals should be punished for what the crimes they commit. So the definition will vary from god to god. And it is nearly impossible to find one that will suit all of these due to the fact that no mind is alike. Everyone will have a different version of what they believe is pious and impious.
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