How to Escape Indictment for Impiety: Teaching as Punishment in the Euthyphro

In the Euthyphro, Socrates claims that, if he gains knowledge of piety, he should be able to secure his acquittal on charges of impiety. This paper examines why Socrates thinks that this is the case. It offers two readings: reading (a), according to which Socrates will use this knowledge to prove that he is innocent of impiety, and reading (b), according to which Socrates believes that this knowledge will make him pious henceforth and that his instruction in piety is a suitable punishment for any past impiety. The paper argues in favor of reading (b), and suggests that Socrates endorses a functional definition of punishment in the Euthyphro, according to which whatsoever reforms a wrongdoer constitutes punishment.