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In defense of his teacher, and to disclose to all the truth of Socrates trial, Plato writes his version of the truth as he heard it. In the Apology Plato writes from the persona of his teacher, in the first person. Plato paints the picture of a man who is falsely accused of the crime of corrupting youth. Socrates, pretending to read an affidavit of one of his accusers, states: "Socrates is a criminal and a busybody, prying into things under the earth and into the heavens, and making the weaker argument strong and teaching these things to others" ("The Apology." Great Dialogues of Plato, Mentor Books, p.425).
Though on the surface, this statement may sound like an advertisement for a monarchal society, it was in reality merely a resignation to the fact that man is simply incapable of governing himself, though Locke saw that as the ideal. He vociferously spoke out against the divine right of kings and argued that governments should rely upon the consent of the people. Locke was convinced that human beings were born with "blank" minds and that only through experience could a person begin to form ideas.
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