Euthyphro

             According to the text in the Euthyphro, I do not think that Socrates is a divine command theorist. Although, he speaks of Gods many times in the Euthyphro, he doesn't say that the God's posses the knowledge of what is right and wrong, or in other words, what is pious or impious. The Bhagavad-Gita gives a good example of how a divine command theorist asks questions and comes to conclusions. Socrates just doesn't seem to coincide with the idea of a divine command theorist.
             The Bhagavad-Gita is a story about two families at war. Arjuna, who is a warrior of one of the families army, refuses to fight because he believes it is the wrong thing to do. The blessed lord is right next to Arjuna telling him that it is alright that he goes to war. If he doesn't go to war he is doing wrong because it is his duty to be a warrior. "Cast of this petty faintheartedness and arise, O Oppressor of the foes" (Bhagavad-Gita 421) The lord is telling Arjuna to go, fight and not worry about minor things. This is relevant to the Euthyphro because it shows what a divine command theorist believes. A divine command theorist believes that god holds the answers to what is right and what is wrong. There is no question about his knowledge and there is no question that what god says is right, is right. There is an absolute truth that applies to everyone, and through prayer, and reading certain passages, you can be guided to this absolute truth.
             During the entire conversation between Socrates and Euthyphro a lot is said about gods, but there is no concrete answer. It seems to me that Socrates doesn't think there is a concrete answer either. I have to think that Socrates is not a divine command theorist because a divine command theorist knows that there is a definite answer and that answer comes from the gods. Socrates asks Euthyphro how he can know that his action pious, Euthyphro then compares himself to Zeus punishing his ow...

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Euthyphro. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 06:55, April 26, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/8465.html