Journal: Read Ecclesiastes 1:12-14 and Genesis 18: Then respond to the following: "Some theists say that ethics cannot do without religion because the very meaning of 'good' is nothing other than 'what God approves'. Plato refuted a similar claim more than two thousand years ago by arguing that if the gods approve of some actions it must be because those actions are good, in which case it cannot be the gods' approval that makes them good. The alternative view makes divine approval entirely arbitrary: if the gods had happened to approve of torture and disapprove of helping our neighbors, torture would have been good and helping our neighbors bad. Some modern theists have attempted to extricate themselves from this type of dilemma by maintaining that God is good and so could not possibly approve of torture; but these theists are caught in a trap of their own making, for what can they possibly mean by the assertion that God is good? That God is approved of by God?” Singer, Peter (2010). Practical Ethics (Second ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press

INTRODUCTION Euthyphro & Socrates

I. GREEK PHILOSOPHY A | Does the Bible critique Greek philosophy? I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 1:12-14

I. GREEK PHILOSOPHY A | Does the Bible critique Greek philosophy? Is wisdom meaningless/vanity as Ecclesiastes describes?

2 | Two conceptions of wisdom Wisdom is vain because it has limits, is finite, is temporary and is ultimately unsatisfying on its own. Wisdom gives us meaning to our experience. (a) Total wisdom The power to penetrate all mystery. (b) Finite wisdom. What Ecclesiastes is talking about? It cannot profit you or free you. Will ultimately fail you; use it to lead you to God. If it gives you wisdom of this world it gives you death. Wisdom at its best can show you what is beyond it.

3. What view of wisdom did the Greeks have?

B. Socrates of Athens (470–399 BC) 1. Life -Fought as a Hoplite -Stone mason -Poor -Famous -First Philosopher to leave a legacy. But didn’t write anything down (written by Plato)

2. Socratic issues (a) The rightness of actions (e.g., a just prosecution) (b) Wisdom C | Homeric ethics (750 BC) 1 | The concept of arete (  ) (a) In the Euthyphro Socrates praises the motives of his accuser, for the cultivation of virtue in youth. Arete (Greek: virtue, excellence) (b) Origins in Homeric Greece

2 | Ethics in Homeric Greece (a) Ethics – the inquiry into the rightness of actions (b) The ethical relevance of role & status (c) Justice is therefore a central virtue What makes a good thing good? It means to be excellent. To be excellent is to perform your function and purpose. Good is thus connected to purpose.

3 | Why are Homeric goods good? (a) The purposes of excellence (or virtue) (b) What is achieved by the virtues? (i) Courage (ii) Fidelity 4 | Homeric virtue vs. ours In Homeric society what I ought to do is be excellent…

4 | Homeric virtue vs. ours In Homeric society what I ought to do is be excellent (a) Virtue (i) Gratitude (ii) Fidelity

4 | Homeric virtue vs. ours In Homeric society what I ought to do is be excellent (iii) Other virtues (a) Beauty (b) Facilitation vs. ‘goodness’ (c) Three points of difference (i) Different virtues (ii) The teleological basis of goodness (iii) The secondary nature of arête or excellence

5 | Problems in Homeric ethics (a) Workability & the notion of a defective ethics (b) The concept of a ‘working’ ethics Is ethics right if it works in the culture? How do you know? (c) Conflicting duties What if your duty as a father conflicted with your duty as a king? (d) Culture & deficiency What is the plan of the ethics: to make society stable. But with conflicting duties, following these ethics to the end leads to instability.

II TEXT | PLATO, EUTHYPHRO A | Recap of the dialogue B | Context of the Euthyphro 1 | Socrates & Sophism: Socrates charged with corrupting the youth (a) Ethical innovation (b) Sophism & truth

II TEXT | PLATO, EUTHYPHRO 2 | Socratic skepticism To tamper with the definition of justice you must have a lot of wisdom. (a) Difference between skepticism (reasonable criticism of the claim to know) vs. Radical skepticism (the doubt that we can know anything)

II TEXT | PLATO, EUTHYPHRO C | Issues in the Euthyphro What is piety and impiety? 1 | The definition of piety (a)‘Loved by the gods’ (b) ‘Loved by all the gods’ 2 The cause of piety, the reason for being loved by the gods (and, by extension, the cause of goodness) (a) Pious because of a quality, or because of the gods? What explains the unanimity? What makes them in agreement. (b) Which answer does the more pious person give?

II TEXT | PLATO, EUTHYPHRO 3 | The challenge of the Euthyphro 4 | The justification of ethics (a) Justifying ethical views (b) Religious justification of ethics (God as foundation of ethics) Is something holy because it is holy or is it holy because its chosen by the Gods is a central question to religion. (c) Criticism – Christians today do not justify their ethics in that way. For Christian God’s word settle ethics.

II TEXT | PLATO, EUTHYPHRO (c) Criticism – Christians today do not justify their ethics in that way. For Christian God’s word settle ethics. (i) Christianity & the question put to Euthyphro (ii) The dismissal of religious ethics (d) The Divine Command theory of morality: Good because God allows it and bad because God forbids it. Most philosophers dismiss this view. IS CHRISTIAN ETHICS DIVINE COMMAND ETHICS?

II TEXT | PLATO, EUTHYPHRO Is Christian ethics Divine Command ethics? 5 |The religious justification of ethics “The assumption that we need God for the ethics” Is there something God cannot do? So when we looks at ourselves for a standard of right and wrong are we looking at a non-divine standard? Divine standards or human standards as a false dichotomy? Do we put religion above morality?