However, Plato overlooks, perhaps has chosen to ignore, a special kind of action characteristic of or The hapless Euthyphro is forced to choose between religion, namely ritual. actions which either benefit or please the gods. We need not turn to the obviously religious to find illuminating examples such actions. celebrations are simple follow a certain pattern and can be done well or badly. success not a function of what they accomplish or But their is birth of a baby, this is not of of how they are received. When we the the natural process by which he or she came into existence day a year later has no causal role in making the baby one year old.The term"ritual event" has an aura of the occult and the esoteric about it, but in fact ritual events are a crucial part of human life. Their role is not to bring something valuable about, or merely to make life more enjoyable, and when they are performed entirely for their own sake, as ant thinks moral actions should be, they become mere rituals. Rather their special function is to shape our lives. Quite what this means, why it matters, and how it relates to morality are issues that will become clearer when we have explored this ques tion: What gives life meaning?