Philosophical Methodology

1
Philosophical Methodology
Plato, Euthyphro
2
The Simplified Scientific Method

• Observations
• Hypothesis at least one hoof of a horse is on
  the ground
• Test Hypothesis (Experiments)

3

• For a many things we cannot use observation alone
  to tell us something about it
• E.g. piety, morally right, God, the mind

4
Historical Socrates

• Socrates (469-399 B.C.)
• Practiced philosophy in the Athenian Agora with
  local citizens and eminent travelers passing
  through Athens
• Condemned to death by Athenian court
• Charged with corrupting the youth and inventing
  new Gods
• Plato was Socrates student

5
Socratic Method Dialectic

• Goal philosophical knowledge
• Two subjects
• subject (A) the person who knows something
• interlocutor (B) the person criticizing A
• (A) proposes philosophical position (thesis or
  definition)
• (B) objects
• (A) replies defends position back to step 2
  orabandon thesis back to step 1
• Stop when both (B) and (A) are satisfied

6
Socratic Dialectic in Philosophy

• Some articles will be objections and/or replies
  to philosophical positions
• Some articles will have both objections/replies
  and new definitions
• They are attempts to get closer to an acceptable
  definition

7
The Response to Socratic Questioning

• Socrates examines (takes the position of
  interlocutors) and questions people who claim to
  have knowledge in one area or another
• He finds interlocutors becoming increasingly
  frustrated with him
• Arrogant or benevolent interlocutor?

8
Structure of Euthyphro

• Is it pious to prosecute ones own father?
• What is piety (religious duty/godliness)?
• Euthyphro attempt 1
• Euthyphro attempt 2
• Euthyphro attempt 3
• Piety is part of justice Socrates hint
• Euthyphro attempt 4

9
What is a definition?

• A definition is a way of giving the meaning of
  some word
• Example bachelor means unmarried male
• Definitions are necessarily true you cant have
  a bachelor that is not an unmarrried male

10
Counter-Examples

• But, our definition has a counter-example
• 2 year old boys are not bachelors yet they are
  unmarried males
• Is The Pope a bachelor?

11
Attempt 1 List of Pious Actions

• I say the pious is to do what I am doing now, to
  prosecute the wrongdoer, be it about murder or
  temple robbery or anything else, whether the
  wrongdoer is your father or your mother or anyone
  else not to prosecute is impious (pg. 20)

12
Problem Not A Definition

• Socrates rejects this account giving examples
  does not tell us about the idea or concept of
  piety
• Requirement 1 Proposals must be general i.e.
  they must be definitions
• Example What is the definition of bachelor?
• Bachelor unmarried male Proper definition
• Bachelor James Bond, Al Pacino, etc improper

13
Attempt 2

• Definition of Piety
• piety what is dear to the gods

14
Problem 2 Definition leads to a Contradiction

• Earlier Euthyphro accepted that there are many
  gods and that the Gods love different things
  (common view in Ancient Greece)
• Example Athena may love prosecuting ones
  father, Zeus may not love prosecuting ones
  father.
• So, prosecuting ones father is both loved by the
  Gods, and it is not loved by the Gods
• So, prosecuting ones father is both pious and
  impious
• The definition leads to a contradiction an
  unacceptable result

15
Attempt 4

• Piety the part of justice (moral right/wrong)
  that is concerned with the care of Gods

16
Clarification What does E. mean by care for
Gods?

• "care of" tending as in tending horses or
  sheep aims at benefit.
• It is absurd to say that we are pious in order to
  benefit the gods. counter-example How could
  anything we do benefit the Gods?
• "care of" service as in a slave's service
  toward a master.
• Service enables the thing served to achieve a
  fine end (services aims at achievement) but this
  is absurd to say about our service to the gods.
  counter-example (can we really help God out,
  the way a servant can help a master out?)
• Socrates conclusion we dont have a clear
  enough account of the concept care for Gods to
  have clearly understood piety so attempt 4 fails

17
End of Dialogue

• Euthyphro escapes further discussion... Gives
  excuse and leaves
• Euthyphro is prosecuting his father based on
  confused ideas about piety and right/wrong
• He does not desire to know, yet still wants to go
  ahead with the prosecution
• This kind of boldness and confidence about ones
  own supposed knowledge is something Socrates sets
  out to correct
• In another dialogue he calls himself a Gadfly
  someone who pricks at people who claims to know
  things
• Dialogue filled with Socratic Irony Socrates
  sarcastic comments about the wealth of knowledge
  he sees his interlocutor thinks he has
• Socrates throughout Platos dialogues finds that
  many people do not really know what they are
  talking about

18
Role of Philosophy

• Socrates is a gadfly like a modern day social
  critic someone who questions people
• gadfly to a large and well bred horse, a horse
  grown sluggish because of its size and in need of
  being roused I rouse you. I persuade you. I
  upbraid you. I never stop lighting on each one of
  you, everywhere, all day long. Such a one will
  not easily come to you again, gentlemen Perhaps
  you will swat me, persuaded by Anytus that you
  may lightly kill. Then you will continue to sleep
  out your lives, unless the god sends someone else
  to look after you. (Apology, 30e-31a)

19
Philosophical Method

• Goal knowledge
• The method provides a way to become clear about
  the concepts we use e.g. piety, moral rightness,
  wrongness
• Has the dialectic concluded in anyone attaining
  knowledge?
• Socrates and Euthyphro did not discover what
  piety is
• What they did find was what piety is not
  Euthypros 4 attempts are not piety
• We will have knowledge, when we have a definition
  of piety that sustains criticism but this is
  very hard

20
Summary

• Philosophical methodology dialectic proposing
  definitions and objections, replies
• Three ways we can go wrong
• Propose faulty definitions i.e. lists of
  specific things
• Propose definitions that leads to contradictions
• Propose definitions with unclear concepts
• Propose definitions that have counter-examples
• Important Notion Necessary and Sufficient
  conditions
• Goal if we reach definitions that dont fall
  into these traps then we will have knowledge