It was said to be an association of free men with no single leader or king. The town prided itself on the freedom of its citizens and, in particularly, its freedom of speech. Most all citizens prided themselves on these views, although they respected the views of other people because of their own freedom of speech. .
This was the society in which Socrates lived. Socrates was a philosopher who believed that only those who know should rule the people. In other words, the people are not capable of government participation because they do not have the knowledge to do so. According to this philosophy, democracy is not a capable government. Other than his time spent fighting for Athens, Socrates rarely took part in any democratic actions. He spent most of his life preaching his philosophical views, ignoring the needs of his wife and children, who lived in a home of inheritance with little to no income. .
Socrates had many pupils to his preaching, although he denied being a teacher of philosophy. He boasted about many topics, and attacked the opinions of many others. He believed that one should give specific definitions of their beliefs. He had the ability to destroy any definition or proposition given to him, although he rarely gave any of his own. I believe that it is the fact that he rarely, if ever, gave specific definitions that allowed him to be the large influence upon his pupils that he was. Socrates was a master of rhetoric. He thought that one should not be part of a community or city, but instead should separate one's self from society. .
The second part of the book begins by exploring ideas as to why there was no trial against Socrates until he was seventy years of age. The first possibility is that of the jokes made by the comic poets. Although initially this seems to be a good possibility, the author believes that it actually only illustrates the popularity of Socrates amongst the Athenians of the time.