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==Unpopularity of Socrates==

Socrates was condemned to die by a popular assembly of citizens. It appears that the philosopher was very unpopular in his native city. It must be remembered that most of our knowledge about Socrates comes from his disciples such as Xenophon. Among Athenians, he was not popular. The philosopher was someone who had an ambiguous attitude towards the city-state’s democracy. He supported democracy but he was concerned about power being given to those who were not worthy of it <ref>Wilson, p. 118</ref>. He wanted those with the relevant knowledge and skills to be given power, which is reminiscent of the arguments proposed by backers of aristocratic or oligarchic rule. Socrates had been friendly with some of the ‘Thirty Tyrants’ who had seized power in a coup and who had persecuted democrats. However, he did not actively support this authoritarian government. Socrates' somewhat anti-democratic sentiment came at a time when many Athenians feared for their popular form of government. Moreover, the philosopher was also suspected of being sympathetic to Sparta, because of his comments. The Spartans were traditionally the archenemies of the Athenians. Then Socrates appears to have publicly humiliated many people during his arguments and this made him many enemies<ref> Ahrensdorf, Peter J. The death of Socrates and the life of philosophy: an interpretation of Plato's Phaedo (London, SUNY Press, 1995), p. 118</ref>. This was a dangerous thing to do in Ancient Greece when personal reputation was jealously guarded.

==Was Socrates’ guilty as charged?==

There were two specific charges laid against the philosopher. One was that was corrupting the youth of Athens. Socrates did have many followers among the aristocratic youth of Athens <ref> Brickhouse, Thomas C., and Nicholas D. Smith. Routledge philosophy guidebook to Plato and the trial of Socrates (New York, Routledge, 2004), p 112</ref>. He an inordinate influence over them. One of these was Alcibiades, who was infamous for his role in many scandals and who was forced to flee Athens twice by his opponents. At one time he was even key advisor to the Spartan king during the Peloponnesian War. Many in Athens blamed Socrates for the behavior of Alcibiades. Moreover, many assumed that Socrates was teaching the Athenian youth dangerous ideas, such as challenging traditions and the existing social norms. Indeed, Socrates’ ideas were subversive. The most serious of the two charges was impiety. This was asebeia in Greek and, Socrates was accused of teaching unorthodox ideas and disrespect for the Gods </ref>Burnyeat, Myles F. "The impiety of Socrates." Ancient Philosophy 17, no. 1 (1997): 1-12</ref>. In the Clouds by Aristophanes, Socrates is shown as teaching young people of using words to cheat others and to avoid paying debts. The philosopher was someone who certainly had some unusual religious ideas. Many of the ideas that he argued for, were contrary to religious practices. Greek religion was very public, and it involved sacrifices, ceremonies, and festivals. Socrates did not teach the importance of public worship but rather promoted an intellectual reverence for the gods. He claimed that he had a spirit guiding him, a daemon. Then he claimed that the Oracle of Delphi had told him that he was the most intelligent man alive. This was because he acknowledged his ignorance, but the statement could easily have been misconstrued as Socrates asserting that he was divinely inspired. This meant that many people believed that he was introducing new gods or was an atheist, both of which would have been regarded as dangers to the social fabric. All of these opened up Socrates to the charge of impiety. From the perspective of an ordinary Athenian juror, it would seem that the ill-kempt and defiant accused was a threat to the state, based on the cultural norms of the time.