Socrates’ Pursuit of the Good and the Transcendental Justification

In the dialogue Laches, Plato addresses the issue of justification of Educational content in the language of today’s curriculum researchers. Plato’s view on the issue can be summarized as follows: the value of educational content should be judged not from the perspective of utility, but in light of whether or not it helps to care for the soul. Here, ‘care for the soul’ is possible through the ‘life of reflection’, which Socrates recommended throughout his life. In his view, human life is a process of purifying the soul through reflection. And for him, the life of reflection and purification of the soul is a command from God and the destiny of humans, and no one can be an exception to it. In the researcher’s view, this view of Plato reappears in R. S. Peters’ discussion of the transcendental justification. According to Peters, humans are born into a civilized life in which it is valuable to use reason to ask questions about the current situation and find answers. Of course, this question also includes the practical question of why we should do this and not that. Education is an activity that initiates children into a civilized life by using the accumulated results as educational content. Therefore, the demand to justify educational content is meaningful only when its value is already accepted. Peters’ discussion of the transcendental justification can be more fully formed by Plato’s view on the problem of the source of knowledge, which is implied in ‘the purification of the soul’.