Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

euthyphro dilemma

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.60 in modern English

Syllables: eu-thy-phro dilem-ma
IPA

32

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

4

Syllables

13

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A dilemma as to whether things that are morally good are commanded by God because they are morally good, or whether they are morally good because they are God's commands.

Etymology

Found in Plato's dialogue Euthyphro, in which Socrates asks Euthyphro, "Is the pious (τὸ ὅσιον) loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?"

Inflected Forms

Euthyphro dilemmas (plural)

Questions

What does euthyphro dilemma mean?: A dilemma as to whether things that are morally good are commanded by God because they are morally good, or whether they are morally good because they are God's commands.
Where does euthyphro dilemma come from?: Found in Plato's dialogue Euthyphro, in which Socrates asks Euthyphro, "Is the pious (τὸ ὅσιον) loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?"

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