ot believe in the gods of Athens, and that instead he ha substituted gods of his own.
Socrates defends himself first that these charges are not true and second that these charges derive from prejudice against him. The fact that the prejudice is widespread is shown by the fact that there is a character named Socrates in the play Clouds by Aristophanes, and Socrates goes to some lengths to describe that play and the behavior of the character to show what the view of him is. He says that Aristophanes may not have intended for his play to be taken seriously, but it is clear that many people have done just that. Another reason for the prejudice against him is the false rumors that have circulated about how he has investigated the things of heaven and earth, when in fact Socrates has no interest in the physical sciences and has given his attention to other matters that interest him m
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