Socrates and Euthyphro are at the courthouse. E thinks he is being holy in his actions, so S challenges him to state what he thinks is holy. E’s answer is “what is agreeable to the Gods is holy and what is not agreeable is unholy.” Socrates notes that there are disagreements within thre Gods so there can be no universal definition of holiness.
The dilemma: “is the holy approved by the Gods because it is holy, or is it holy because it is approved?”
Does God exist independently, and separate from approval, or does good exist as a consequence of it being approved?
Socrates argues that God commands right behaviour because it is right. God is good and only commands what is good. If God is good, ha can only command what is right.
However, this assumes a standard of goodness independent of God and this makes him no longer the ultimate standard of morality. God seeing truthfulness as right is not the same as him making it right.
DCT states God would never command evil. Goodness in internal to God, he has fully identified with goodness and he is never inconsistent with his loving nature.
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