Plato’s Euthyphro is important because it gives an excellent example of Socratic dialogue in operation and of the connection of that dialectic with Plato’s earlier theory of Forms. Professor Allen’s edition of the dialogue provides a translation with interspersed commentary, aimed both at helping the reader who does not have Greek and also elucidating the discussion of the earlier Theory of Forms which follows. The author argues that there is a theory of Forms in the Euthyphro and in other early Platonic dialogues and that this theory is the foundation of Socratic dialogue. However, he maintains that the theory in the early dialogues is a realist theory of universals and this theory is not to be identified with the theory of Forms found in the Phaedo, Republic, and other middle dialogues, since it differs on the issues of ontological status.

Contents

Preface. Bibliographical Abbreviations. Part 1: Introduction 1. The Place of the Euthyphro in Plato’s Dialogues 2. The Text 3. Translation 4. Dramatic Structure 5. Interpretation 6. The Euthyphro and Greek Religion 7. The Euthyphro and the Historical Sources Part 2: The Euthyphro 1. Characters and Setting 2. The Request for a Definition 3. First Definition: the Holy, What is Loved by the Gods 4. First Interlude 5. Second Definition: the Holy, What is Loved by All the Gods 6. Second Interlude: Socrates a Daedalus 7. Requirements for Definition 8. Third Definition: the Holy, Ministry to the Gods 9. Fourth Definition: the Holy, an Art of Prayer and Sacrifice 10. Conclusion Part 3: Plato’s Earlier Theory of Forms Introduction 1. Forms as Regulative Principles of Dialectic 2. Real Definition 3.The Existence of Forms 4. Ontological Status and the Development of the Theory of Forms 5. Conclusion. Bibliography. Index