Plato
...Archeon's court for he was under indictment by a character named Meletus for corrupting the youth and not obeying city appointed gods. Socrates, the protagonist of the Dialogues, is characterized to be a very simple man, not having many material possessions and speaking in a plain, conversational manner. However, his plainness is all a part of the Socratic method. The Socratic method in the plainest terms is answering a question with a question. Socrates through the Dialogue professes his own ignorance, he would engage in conversation with someone claiming to be an expert, usually in ethical matters. By asking simple questions, Socrates would gradually reveal that his counterpart was in fact very confused and did not know anything about the matter that he claimed to be an expert in.
Euthyphro is the antagonist of the first dialogue and the first to understand how much he doesn't really know. Euthyphro is portrayed as an orthodox and a very religious man, believing that he knows everything there is to know about holy matters. He often makes prophecies to others, and who has brought his father to trial on a questionable murder charge. He took his father to court because his father had allowed one of his workers to die without proper care and attention. The worker had killed a slave belonging to the family estate, and Euthyphro's father had let him die bound and gagged. Socrates expresses his astonishment at the confidence of a young man able to take his own father to court on such a serious charge. In what may be perceived as a true Socratic student/teacher fashion, Socrates believes that Euthyphro must first have a clear understanding of what is holy and unholy. Socrates sets the trap for Euthyphro by describing himself as someone who is facing a charge of lack bof holiness, by not worshipping state approved gods, and is unclear what holiness is, he hopes to...
View Full Essay
