The Socratic Method: An introduction to unfolding or exploratory structure

 

Excerpt from Plato's Euthyphro

 

Scene: Socrates and Euthyphro are having a debate about the meaning of piety.

 

Euthyphro: Piety, then, is that which is dear to the gods, and impiety

is that which is not dear to them.

 

Socrates: Very good, Euthyphro; you have now given me the sort of answer

which I wanted. But whether what you say is true or not I cannot as

yet tell, although I make no doubt that you will prove the truth of

your words.

 

Euthyphro: Of course.

 

Socrates: Come, then, and let us examine what we are saying. That thing

or person which is dear to the gods is pious, and that thing or person

which is hateful to the gods is impious, these two being the extreme

opposites of one another. Was not that said?

 

Euthyphro: It was.

 

Socrates: And well said?

 

Euthyphro: Yes, Socrates, I thought so; it was certainly said.

 

Socrates: And further, Euthyphro, the gods were admitted to have enmities

and hatreds and differences?

 

Euthyphro: Yes, that was also said.

 

Socrates: And what sort of difference creates enmity and anger? Suppose

for example that you and I, my good friend, differ about a number;

do differences of this sort make us enemies and set us at variance

with one another? Do we not go at once to arithmetic, and put an end

to them by a sum?

 

Euthyphro: True.

 

Socrates: Or suppose that we differ about magnitudes, do we not quickly

end the differences by measuring?

 

Euthyphro: Very true.

 

Socrates: And we end a controversy about heavy and light by resorting to

a weighing machine?

 

Euthyphro: To be sure.

 

Socrates: But what differences are there which cannot be thus decided,

and which therefore make us angry and set us at enmity with one another?

I dare say the answer does not occur to you at the moment, and therefore

I will suggest that these enmities arise when the matters of difference

are the just and unjust, good and evil, honourable and dishonourable.

Are not these the points about which men differ, and about which when

we are unable satisfactorily to decide our differences, you and I

and all of us quarrel, when we do quarrel?

 

Euthyphro: Yes, Socrates, the nature of the differences about which we

quarrel is such as you describe.

 

Socrates: And the quarrels of the gods, noble Euthyphro, when they occur,

are of a like nature?

 

Euthyphro: Certainly they are.

 

Socrates: They have differences of opinion, as you say, about good and

evil, just and unjust, honourable and dishonourable: there would have

been no quarrels among them, if there had been no such differences-would

there now?

 

Euthyphro: You are quite right.

 

Socrates: Does not every man love that which he deems noble and just and

good, and hate the opposite of them?

 

Euthyphro: Very true.

 

Socrates: But, as you say, people regard the same things, some as just

and others as unjust,-about these they dispute; and so there arise

wars and fightings among them.

 

Euthyphro: Very true.

 

Socrates: Then the same things are hated by the gods and loved by the gods,

and are both hateful and dear to them?

 

Euthyphro: True.

 

Socrates: And upon this view the same things, Euthyphro, will be pious

and also impious?

 

Euthyphro: So I should suppose.

 

Socrates: Then, my friend, I remark with surprise that you have not answered

the question which I asked. For I certainly did not ask you to tell

me what action is both pious and impious:

 

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