hilosopher. Socrates says that the common man must be dragged upward toward wisdom and the ideal, but the philosopher is naturally turned in that direction and seeks wisdom and knowledge of the ideal. The role of the philosopher begins with the realization of his own ignorance. For the philosopher, this leads to a rebirth, a new orientation. Plato follows his mentor, Socrates, in seeing the method of philosophy to be the dialogue, the asking of questions and the questioning of answers. For Socrates, it is the process of inquiry that constitutes wisdom, and knowledge is what one believes, which may or may not be true. Plato presents an explicit statement of the relationship between the individual and society--even an unjust society--in the form of the Apology, the statement of Socrates to the court that finally sentences him to death. The speech represents the conflict between the power of the state and the integrity of the individual. The court gives Socrates an out if he recants his teachings, and he will not do it:
...