Euthyphro dilemma

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.

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Meanings

nounEuthyphro dilemma (plural Euthyphro dilemmas)

plural Euthyphro dilemmas

  1. human sciencesA 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.

Origin

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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Cite this entry
APA

Euthyphro dilemma. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Euthyphro%20dilemma

MLA

“Euthyphro dilemma.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Euthyphro%20dilemma. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Euthyphro dilemma,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Euthyphro%20dilemma.

Source: Euthyphro dilemma on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.