POLS 320 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Meletus, The Examined Life, Pietas
6 Oct 2020
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Plato"s account of the trial and execution of socrates. Four early dialogues (called the tetralogy") by plato recount socrates" trial and execution. Phaedo (socrates" execution): the immortality of the soul. The background message throughout plato"s political thought: Socrates at the king archon"s court to answer an indictment introduced by meletus (who will later be one of the prosecutors interrogating. Socrates meets euthyphro who is also in court to bring charges against his own father. Euthyphro"s action is shocking: it is impious to prosecute one"s own father. Euthyphro thinks that conventional or traditional moral beliefs about what is pious and impious are simply wrong. (a claim of expertise, wisdom [=sophia]) Piety"= gr. hosion (lat. pietas): reverence, devotion, self-sacrifice. In a religious context: proper performance of sacraments, rituals, duties owed to gods. In a non-religious context: proper performance of duties owed to one"s superiors. E. g. , filial piety": respect owed to one"s father; respect owed to one"s country or polis.
