“Everyone knows that the Greeks invented democracy, but it wasn't democracy as we know it, and as a result we've misinterpreted history,” Professor Cartledge said. “The charges Socrates faced seem [incomprehensible] to us, but in ancient Athens they were sincerely thought to serve the common good.” Professor Cartledge argues that Socrates' trial is often misinterpreted as a malpractice of justice, when in fact it was an accurate representation of what democracy was like in Athens in Socrates' time. Based solely on their view of the situation, even if most likely corrupt and biased, the Athenians who accused Socrates were not that much wrong, at least in their opinion.