Metaphysical Moment; Or, a Response to Edward Manak

Edward asked: How vital is the question of metaphysics to education?

I was unclear, at first, how to best answer your question; it is an important one, often lost within the quagmires of detail. You are right, I think, to be concerned about spending too much time of this question, fearing that insufficient attention shall be paid to other questions. That having been said, I think the question is of great importance.

Metaphysics is potently pertinent in many ways, especially its connection to epistemology, as they are never easily separated. Realism refers, often, to both an epistemological and metaphysical position, as does Radical Constructivism, although they will try to do epistemology absent metaphysics. It is easier, I think to understand why epistemology is so vital to education. The method by which knowledge is constructed or attained is vital to the very basic issue of education and pedagogy. If teachers are to educate students (and vice versa) it is important to understand how that process happens and what that process means.

So the answer to your question runs thus: Epistemology is vital to education. Metaphysics is vital to epistemology. Therefore, metaphysics is vital to education.

Question: If metaphysics and epistemology are as vital as I suggest, what are the direct and specific ramification within the classroom. (Or without for that matter, but education, when we quintessentially refer to it, occurs in a classroom.)