Socrates was prompted to inquire into the essence of piety after he was sentenced to death on the grounds he impious. Socrates' love of challenging and questioning other's knowledge got him accused of creating social unrest. In response to the disturbance, a politician charged Socrates with impiety. Impiety is the most obvious grounds on which to charge an inquiring mind, because religion is not open to questioning. In theory a democratic political system, like that of Athens, should allow subjects to challenge ideas, however the Athenian democratic system was young and religious matte…
