In the spring of 399 BCE, a man named Socrates was put on trial before his native Athenians. Facing charges of not recognizing the city's recognized gods and introducing other new deities. Furthermore, he is also accused of corrupting the youth of Athens. The affidavit submitted by Meleto calls for the death penalty. These are very serious charges and the death claim should not be taken lightly. Yet Meletus ignores what he claims and his accusations can be easily refuted. In a legal case or trial such as the one Socrates found himself in, there is a terminology called precedent which means "any act, decision, or case which serves as a guide or justification for subsequent situations." There was a decree against not believing in gods of Athens. However, it was not applied, the unjust punishment of Socrates was a rarity, in fact there are documented cases of others who mocked and showed greater disbelief towards the gods who remained unpunished religious made fun of not only Zeus, but also Dionysus, whose festivals were held in honor. Or was it because so many people listened to what he had to say? persistent who even in the face of death still refused to stop spreading his thoughts. In any case, if there had been others who showed greater disrespect and open derision towards the gods, why were they not punished, what made Socrates so? dangerous for the Athenians? Meletus states that Socrates is an atheist in the affidavit, teaching others to believe not in typical Olympian gods but in other gods and demigods. However will the corrupt defi…… middle of paper…… testify against him? Unless the only people who consider these young people corrupt know what Socrates taught these people? Works Cited Plato The Apology http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/apology.html (accessed September 24, 2011). Colaiaco, James A. "Socrates against Athens: Philosophy on Trial." Of James A Colaiaco, 121-122. Taylor & Francis, Inc, 2001.Plato. The first Socratic dialogues. Penguin Classics, 1987.Random House, Inc. Random House, Inc. 2011. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/precedent (accessed 11 September 2011).Stone, IF The Trial Of Socrates. Little, Brown & Company, 1988.Waterfield, Robin. Why Socrates died: debunking the myths. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. SparkNotes editors. “SparkNote on Apologies.” SparkNotes LLC. nd. http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/apology/ (accessed September 23, 2011).