Professor Gibson draws a parallel between the crisis in Athens and thy etisis which faces the world today' 'The development of his thesis shows that the Platonic view, that the func tion of the philosopher In society is to be an absolute ruler, embodies not only. a false Platonic conception political leadership, but also' a false un-Platonic conception of the: phil sopher. He foes on tu the logical conclusion that the democratic method which consists of settling, differences by' discussion and ce sultation is precisely. the method of Philosophical' discovery, Influence on Society would be wrong to assume that every feature of existing democracies I philosophically defensible, But It ig in a democracy that. the' philoso pher has the duty and opportunity Influence society, not in the capacity of a philosopher-king, but ar a member of a philosopher-commonwealth. 'This Influence need not nec assarily be as a democratic' lender, He may follow the method of retire: ment and service az evidenced In career of General Smuts, who cole brated the loss of a general election by writing "Holism and Evolution." The philosopher ts the one who should analyse the facts of political Ife with 4 view of pronouncing on their meaning and significance. The practice of democracy owes much to the phitosophers who have explored Its funda mental principles.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.