What Role Does Goodness Play In Plato's Life

Goodness plays a huge role in society and, therefore, attracts a lot of attention of various philosophers and other thinkers. Plato is not an exception; his dialogue “Euthyphro” is concentrated all around this theme. It raises the question whether goodness exists at all; but at the same time, it leaves a reader with no answer. However, through Socrates it could be understood that, whatever can be defined precisely is real, that is why he tries to get an exact definition of goodness from Euthyphro in order to know if goodness is real or it is something impermanent, which is merely claimed by human society. Euthyphro made three attempts to give the definition and prove his religious knowledge. Firstly, Euthyphro gives Socrates an example of holiness, which is his court case; but it does not satisfy curiosity of his interlocutor, “Well, I want you to tell me what that basic feature is. That way I will have a standard to refer to, something I can use to judge

What if human society needs goodness, even if does not exist? No one can be sure that the Greek gods exist, but the Greeks still believe in their existence (in the dialogue). Plato does not request to define the gods, when Euthyphro involves them in his definition. Explanation of such behavior may be hidden in the need of the Greeks for the gods. People of that time were in great need of the gods, and that is why they could not doubt them. The needs of the soul substantially determine the life of a human being. It actually can be supported by the work of Simone Weil “The needs of the soul”; the author states that certain obligations are eternal for a human, and she calls this phenomenon “need” (2016, p.52). Society is based on those needs, which are worth being considered; while one is discussing existence of something, the need for that thing makes