The dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro starts when the two run into each other outside of the court. Euthyphro is there prosecuting his father for murder and Socrates is being charged with impiety. Prosecuting his father has brought a lot of heat onto Euthyphro, as the man who died was a murderer. The people around him are telling Euthyphro that what he is doing is impious and that a son shouldn’t prosecute his own father, especially in a situation like this. Socrates is being charged with impiety and with corrupting the youth of Athens. They begin to discuss each other’s cases and it becomes apparent that they each have different ideas of what piety is. Though Socrates never gives an exact definition, he hints at what he feels it is. Euthyphro tries seven times to define piety. Socrates isn't satisfied with the definitions that Euthyphro gives and it's clear they are on different pages. For Socrates, a definition is objective, the same in every situation, and explanatory. None of the definitions that Euthyphro offers meet those standards.
First, Euthyphro says, “The Pious is what I am doing." (5d-6d) He is prosecuting his father for murder even though the people around him are telling him he shouldn’t. Socrates won’t accept this definition, however, because giving an example is not a definition. It reminds me of when Justice Potter Stewart of the Supreme Court attempted to define obscenity by saying, "I know it when I see it." Euthyphro’s definition is not objective, it is not the same in every situation, and it is definitely not explanatory. This is very vague and Euthyphro tries to be more specific.
Euthyphro’s second definition is that "The Pious is what is dear to the gods." (6c-8b) This sounds okay to Euthyphro but Socrates points out that the g ...