Socrates/euthyphro

9/4/07

Short Paper #1

"Tell me, what benefit for the gods does there happen to be from the gifts that they get from us? As to what they give, it is clear to everyone, for there is no good for us that they do not give. But as to what they get from us, how are they benefited? Or do we have so much of an advantage over them in our commerce, that we get all the good things from them, while they get nothing from us?" (Socrates speaking, pg. 60, 15a)

This passage describes the issue brought up that the gifts that humans give back to the gods don't have any real benefit to them, while at the same time humans profit from gifts given from the gods. Everyone thinks of gods as being all-powerful, which therefore would mean that they would have no gain from any gifts sent from people down on Earth. Socrates had before asked Euthyphro if sacrificing was giving gifts to the gods, and Euthyphro had answered that there was no way that gods could benefit from gifts, because of how dominant they are. Euthyphro is again playing his mind games with Socrates by not giving him a straight answer, and then goes on to mention that the sacrifices provide "honor and respect, and as I was just saying, gratitude" (15a). It turns out that the gods don't literally benefit from human's gifts, but do become gratified from sacrifices made towards them. Socrates tries to figure the whole thing out, and Euthyphro then agrees when Socrates says that if the gods find the sacrifices gratifying, that what he really means is that the sacrifices are what are approved of by the gods. The only thing accomplished by this entire passage is just more confusion, because they are brought back to the same point they were at before Ð'- the point that what is holy is that which is approved by the gods.

This passage is just another example of Socrates using irony throughout the entire dialogue, but the interesting part is that Euthyphro didn't catch onto it until right at the end of the entire thing. I think the reason why Euthyphro leaves so suddenly at the end is just for this reason Ð'- he realizes how stupid Socrates has made him look. Euthyphro has shot himself in the foot throughout the entire dialogue because of how confident he was in everything that he knew. Socrates killed his confidence, and made him realize that he was wrong on his own