1. PHILOSOPHY IN EDUCATION 1
Philosophy in Education
Olivia Baker
Oral Roberts University

2. PHILOSOPHY IN EDUCATION 2
Just about every adult in America has been taught by a teacher at some point.
These teachers can have a negative or positive influence on the lives of there students,
ultimately affecting the outcome of future adults. Part of what kind of influence they have
stems from the philosophy they apply to their teaching.
The acronym MEAL stands for metaphysics, epistemology, axiology, and logic.
These are the basic founding blocks of philosophy. They are not philosophies in and of
themselves, but rather they are within every philosophy. The first one, metaphysics, deals
with the world around us—both spiritual and physical. Broken down it literally means
“after nature.” Metaphysics can especially be seen in philosophy through idealism and
realism—one believes that the physical world is based on individual perception and is
very spiritual while the other believes that the material world is real and does not usually
believe in spirituality. The second aspect of philosophy, epistemology, concerns the idea
of knowledge. How do we know? Where does knowledge come from? Some say nothing
can be known for sure. As Christians we say our knowledge comes from God who has
enabled us with the capacity of knowledge. This “heavenly knowledge” is even
mentioned in James 1:17 (NIV) when he says, “But the wisdom that comes from
heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and
good fruit, impartial and sincere.” The third component of philosophy is axiology, which
covers two matters—morals and aesthetics. Aesthetics asks the questions “what has
beauty?” and “who determines it?” This then brings up the question of “can artists be
considered philosophers? We see this in our daily lives. One girl may think a guy is
handsome and two others may disagree. It comes down to the saying “beauty is in the
eyes of the beholder.” Though it does not answer the question of beauty, Paul simply put

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it this way, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is
right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is
excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8). Axiology also then
asks, “What is ethics?” “Who determines what’s right and wrong?” and “Are ethics
relative or absolute?” This more than any other, seems to be a dominant theme
throughout our society, no matter our religion, worldview, or philosophy. The question of
ethics touches every single human being. Even Socrates said, “We are discussing no
small matter, but how we ought to live.” Both of these, aesthetics and ethics, come
together and make axiology. The final part is not so much a part of philosophy, instead it
is the way we discuss philosophy. Logic structures the way we argue/discuss. Logic
brings level headedness to a discussion when we have differing philosophies.
Out of the RIPE philosophies, the two that would fit my personal philosophy best
are idealism and realism. This may seem quite contradictory, but that is merely because I
believe in some of both and disagree with some of both. The other two (pragmatism and
existentialism), however, I completely disagree with. Realism and idealism do differ
quite significantly. In metaphysics, realism believes that the whole material world is real,
composed of matter, and independent of the mind while idealism believes that the
material world doesn’t exist and is only something that our mind perceives. In
epistemology, realism states that humans know through senses and reason and that
children are born with a blank slate (education is meant to fill that slate) while idealism
says that all ideas are latent but not evident (existing in the mind but not yet discovered).
(Teachers are to bring out these ideas, then). And finally, realism claims that behavior
should be rational, we must take responsibility for our actions, art should depict real life

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as accurately as possible, and, most importantly that values are man-made and subjective.
Idealism, on the other hand, considers morals to be the only absolute thing in life is
morals and use religion as a moral code. Sin, also for them, is not inborn but simply
caused by ignorance. Clearly, they differ quite significantly. Nonetheless, I still hold that
they are both right and wrong. First, I would agree with the realist metaphysics that the
physical world is real whether we perceive it or not. I understand where the idealists
come from in saying that just because we perceive it, doesn’t mean it’s real. However, I
would say that some of the most basic things (i.e. trees, grass, rocks, people) are most
certainly real. Other things (illusions) are harder to determine, but with knowledge of
them, their cause, etc., one can learn to differentiate between the two. As for
epistemology, I would disagree with realists that children are born with a blank slate. As
mentioned before, the bible says that our knowledge comes from above. Therefore, I
would agree with the idealists that people have the knowledge/ideas already there; they
simply must be made aware of them. Lastly, I would agree with the realists that we are
responsible for our own behavior, not some external force. Though our environment may
push us towards a behavior, we are still in control of our actions, and must accept
responsibility for them. As far as aesthetics go, I tend to prefer art/literature that portrays
life as realistically as possible, just as the realists do. However, I would not say that
abstract art doesn’t have value simply because I don’t find it as attractive. Nonetheless,
when it comes to values, I would definitely side with the idealists. Even the Christian
worldview has a tendency toward the idealist idea that morals are absolute. Some values
are situational, but for the most part, they are absolute. Christianity would also disagree
that sin is based in a lack of knowledge rather than an inborn sin nature.

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These philosophies, as well as the other major philosophies can be translated into
educational philosophies. In searching for the educational philosophy that best fits me, I
found that I favored all of the student-based philosophies—none more than the other. I
strongly believe that students should the center of learning, not the teacher. Students are
better able to learn when it is something they are actually interested in. I also believe it is
important for students to learn based on experience. Studies have shown that knowledge
will stick longer through direct application rather than through hearing or reading. While
all three learning styles are important to include, hands-on can have some of the best
results. I believe students would have greater interest in learning when they know they
direct it. Despite my belief in student-directed education, I would not completely get rid
of the teacher’s influence. The basic subjects (science, reading, history, math) are still
very important to children up to a certain level, whether or not the child wants to learn
about it. The key is to figure out a way to get it into them and still make it enjoyable.
My Christian worldview can greatly affect the way I teach my students later in
life. I believe in God and that he is directly involved in our lives here on earth. He has
created a world for us to live in filled with people that are equally important in his eyes.
When he created us, he gave us the ability to know and determine morality, as well as a
set of rules (in the Bible) to help clear up those moral laws. He has created heaven and
hell, one of which we will go to after death. While we are living, however, we are to learn
from those before us and constantly strive to help and better our fellow man, living an
unselfish lifestyle. We also strive to stick to the moral law He has set for us as that will
please Him and help us get along better with our fellow man. Teaching from this

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worldview, I would strive to instill good morals in my students and, if I were in a private
institution, also aim to teach the same views to my students.
My role as a teacher would be like any other. The teacher is there not only to
provide an education. The teacher, as well as the school overall, is there to encourage a
love for learning, provide a safe environment mentally, physically, and emotionally, to
instill morals/values, and to prepare students for the future.
Overall, a teacher plays a pivotal role in a child’s life that can carry them all the
way to adulthood. This is strongly affected by the philosophy they bring to their teaching.
When I go to teach, I will keep this in mind and always aim to fulfill the role of the
teacher.