Final answer:
Socrates encounters Euthyphro at the king-archon's court in Athens, which prompts a philosophical discussion on piety and goodness, challenging the basis of Euthyphro's claim that piety is what pleases the gods.
Step-by-step explanation:
Socrates and Euthyphro meet at the king-archon's court in Athens. While Socrates is on his way to his trial, he encounters Euthyphro, who is coming from the courthouse after posting charges against his own father for murder. This scenario leads to a deep philosophical conversation about the nature of piety and goodness. Euthyphro believes that what is pious is what is pleasing to the gods, a position Socrates challenges by questioning how one can know the will of the gods when they are often in conflict with one another in the stories told about them. Through their dialogue, Socrates seeks to understand the essence of good and whether moral knowledge is possible. The discussions Socrates holds, like the one with Euthyphro, reflect his skeptical approach in early dialogues, where he refuses to put forth doctrines and instead uses questioning to probe the certainty of his interlocutors' knowledge, leading them to question their own understanding.