What type of people does atticus symbolically represent?

Atticus is one of my favourite characters in fiction. Atticus represents the best that human nature has to offer. He is kind of the extreme polar opposite of Bob Ewell. Atticus represents people who, despite danger and humiliation, stand up and do the right thing. Atticus transcends merely a good person, he is righteous and sees a situation from many points of view before he entertains a decision. I really like the explanation he gives Scout about why he chose to take the Tom Robinson case. He said that if he did not, "I could never tell you or your brother what to do again."