‘Euthyphron’ in the System of Dialogues of Plato’s Definition

Abstract

In this article, the author seeks to rethink the chronology of the dialogue «Euthyphro», which is usually considered an early dialogue of Plato. Having shown in the previous articles the incongruities of the traditional early dating of the dialogue, the author, based on the idea of the genre evolution of Plato’s works, places the dialogue among the school ones written against the background of the compilation of the «Laws». To confirm his thesis, the author refers to the late dialogues of Plato and shows how, in terms of methodology (formalization of the definition of diaeresis, the mathematical passages of thought) «Euthyphro» approaches to such texts as «Theaetetus», «Parmenides», «Epinomis» etc. The similarity of the approaches with the «Meno» and «Epinomis», narrative proximity to «Theaetetus», school clichés, and similar to the later Platonic dialogues themes show involvement of «Euthyphro» in the problematic of the dialogues of definition. The evidence given and the affinity with the later dialogues show that the argument of «Euthyphro» really had to rely on the developed technique of conducting debates. This allows us to ground a new chronology of the dialogue «Euthyphro»: the late school dialogue, reflecting the practice of school debates of the Platonic Academy.