In this I cannot follow him, any more than in his mystical deduction of these ideas, or in the
extravagances whereby he, so to speak, hypostatized them–although, as must be allowed, the
exalted language, which he employed in this sphere, is quite capable of a milder interpretation
that accords with the nature of things.^20Kant thus sets up the possibility that Plato intends to articulate a position similar to his own. It is
equally possible that Kant is arriving at a position closer to Plato’s. At the very least, it is clear that
Kant agrees with Plato that we are aware of ideas that we do not derive from experience, which is
enough to require the Socratic method in education insofar as it elicits ideas from the student’s own
reason. It is this transcendence of the empirical world, which Kant accepts as a moral certainty, that
requires employment of the Socratic method in moral education.
Kant on Socratic Method
There are two notable discussions of Socratic method in Kant’s writings, and he gives it a strong
endorsement in both instances. The first passage is found in hisLectures on Pedagogy, where he
argues:
:::in the formation of reason one must proceed Socratically. For Socrates, who called himself
the midwife of his listeners’knowledge, gives in his dialogues, which Plato has preserved for
us faithfully, examples, of how even in the case of old people, one can bring forth a good deal
from their own reason. On many matters children do not need to exercise reason. They must not
reason about everything. They do not need to know the reasons for everything which is meant
to make them well-educated. But as soon as duty is concerned, then the reasons in question
must be made known to them. However, in general one must see to it that one does not carry
rational knowledge into them but rather extracts it from them. The Socratic method should be
the rule for the catechetical method. The mechanical-catechetical method is also good for some
sciences; for example, in instruction in revealed religion. However, in the case of universal
religion one must use the Socratic method. For the mechanical-catechetical method
particularly recommends itself for what must be learned historically.^21In this passage Kant clearly intends to invoke and recommend the Socratic method, as he refers to
Socrates, the image of the teacher as midwife, and the idea that the teacher must“extract”know-
ledge from the student.
The passage also makes clear that Kant has in mind moral education in particular. Students of
Kant’s ethical thought will understand that he requires the Socratic method because it is the only
way to preserve the autonomy of the student. Kant allows that early education might not follow this
method (presumably one might teach children to memorize information they do not yet understand,
although even this raises interesting questions for aKantian), but he insists that true moral education
must proceed dialogically, so that the student can become autonomous. If morality depends on duty
for duty’s sake, then it requires personal knowledge of one’s duty, and so morality can only be
taught by developing the autonomy of the student. But notice also that this is a metaphysical
necessity in addition to an ethical one: because the moral law transcends experience, it would
simply be impossible to educate a student to virtue if he or she did not already have access to the
moral law. In Kant’s language, autonomy cannot be heteronomously planted in the student. Thus,
on Kant’s account, it is both ethically wrong and impossible to educate someone in any other way in
the field of ethics.
Further, the passage hints that the Socratic method is necessary in the field of speculative
metaphysics too. While Kant focuses on ethical education, he opens the passage by referring to the
education of reason as a whole, which would include the transcendental ideas. The Socratic method
66 Steven F. McGuire