Although I have been involved in the world of Great Books in some capacity since college, this is my first semester teaching these formative texts. One of the big ideas that resurfaces throughout the texts is piety. We first encountered this idea in Plato's dialogue Euthyphro. Socrates, who is on his way to the magistrate to answer for the charges of corrupting the youth, meets Euthyphro, who has just indicted his father on a murder charge. A slave murdered another slave, so Euthyphro's father tied up the murderer and went to consult the authorities on what to do. The slave then ended up dying of exposure, thus prompting Euthyphro's action. Socrates is surprised that a son would indict his own father and eagerly asks Euthyphro to teach him about piety, which is Euthyphro's stated motivation. As with most of Plato's dialogues, we find out the Euthyphro knows nothing about piety and Socrates is only closer to understanding what it is by finding out what it isn't. What struck me, though, was what Euthyphro said before piety was even mentioned: "I am amused, Socrates, at your making a distinction between one who is a relation and one who is not a relation; for surely the pollution is the same in either case, if you knowingly associate with the murderer when you ought to clear yourself and him by proceeding against him." Pollution seems to be Euthyphro's main motivation for indicting his father. The virtue of piety is used as a cloak to cover Euthyphro's scrupulous concern about his reputation and Socrates reveals how thin a garment it is. This made me consider what virtues I think I have and whether their roots are in the soil of self-interest. I could proudly say that I'm not a glutton, but I've often thought that if I didn't have to eat, I wouldn't. Think how much time and money I could save by not having to feed myself. Or I could boast that I'm not lazy. If I didn't have to sleep, I wouldn't. Consider how much more work I could accomplish by not having to waste 8 horizontal hours. But this isn't virtue. I am being overscrupulous of pleasures God has gifted to me, and I use my work ethic to gain approval and acceptance from others. Euthyphro and I are thinking too much about ourselves by covering it up with the appearance of virtue. 

What is piety then? How can I cultivate virtues that don't come from self-interest? Something my 7th graders have noticed about the heroes in this semester's curriculum is that if people hate you, you might be on the right path. Thorin Oakenshield hated Bilbo for his attempt at peace for the price of the Arkenstone; the people of Athens hated Socrates enough to force him to drink poison; many characters in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader were deeply annoyed with Reepicheep for his incessant valor. But Bilbo was a true friend to Thorin; Socrates testified that to die virtuously was better than to live wickedly; and Reepicheep was the only creature allowed to sail into Aslan's country. In the Gospel of Matthew, these 7th graders are also about to encounter Jesus –– another example of someone who was (and still is) hated, and was not only on the right path, but is The Way. Jesus didn't seem to care about his reputation or the pollution of association, yet he did often warn people about the Pharisees who had the appearance of virtue, but the substance of a tomb. Jesus said we will be hated by everyone because of him. I don't experience that kind of hatred. Possibly because my "virtues" are self-centered rather than other-centered. Possibly because I am pious towards my own interests rather than God's. Possibly because I don't get out enough. Bilbo, Socrates, Reepicheep, and Jesus all took risks –– risks that put their life in danger because of their beliefs. I desire to do the same. I hope to instill this same desire in the 7th graders as we read and are encouraged by these Great Books.