3. Euthyphro

Question 1

Euthyphro dialogue is about…

Answer 1

“what is piety/justice/morality?”

Question 2

Euthyphro’s answer:

Answer 2

“Do as I am dong” and “whatever God loves”

Question 3

The Euthyphro problem

Answer 3

What grounds morality/justice?
Why is good good? Is it because

1. It is good
2. God wills it to be so

Question 4

Intellectualism/Realism

Answer 4

• Good is good and morality is intellectually, rationally accessible.
• This means God and goodness are two distinct things
• Q. How can God be all powerful and there are things He can’t do?

Question 5

Voluntarist/Nominalism

Answer 5

• Good is whatever is willed by God
• Good is a meaningless concept independent of God’s will
• Q. It’s possible that God will tell me not to kill, but tell anyone else to because whatever God wills is good.

Question 6

Classical puzzles for the Euthyphro problem

Answer 6

• God commands Abraham to kill Isaac BUT thou shalt not kill
• God commands the Israelites to plunder the Egyptians BUT thou shalt not steal
• God commands Hosea to marry a prostitute BUT 1 Cor 6:15

Question 7

How do Voluntarists try to smuggle in Intellectualism?

Answer 7

Whenever you read a passage like the ones above and try to give it a rational spin, you’re contradicting yourself by being an intellectualist.