What Is A Worldview?

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Worldview comes from the German word weltanschauung, which comes from the union of two German words, welt, which means “world,” and anschauung, which means “perception” or “life view” or “a paradigm.”

Every worldview is marked by the guiding premise of evaluation. A worldview is how one views or interprets reality; it is a collection of beliefs about life and the universe as held by a human being (or sometimes a group of people). It is a comprehensive conception of the world from a specific standpoint; it is the perspective from which an individual observes and understands the world. A carefully examined and reflective worldview consists of a network of interconnected ideas that form a unified whole. The worldview also contributes heavily to what a person believes to be right or wrong behavior. Those with differing worldviews see the world through different lenses that color how they understand and experience it. Those who share worldviews share assumptions about what is real, true, and good. Worldviews influence personal meaning and values, the way people act and think. Worldviews seek to answer the big questions of life: Who am I? Where did I come from? Why do I exist? What is the meaning of life?

Worldviews cover a lot of the same ground that religions do, but the term worldview is useful because everyone has one – whether they claim to be religious or not. The worldview, in fact, serves like a religion for those who do not identify with a particular faith. This is a key insight, for it shows that all humans filter the world through their particular perspectives. Everyone is biased; no human sees the entire big picture of the universe exactly as it is. Only a perfect GOD could do that perfectly. But does a perfect GOD exist? Or are their multiple gods? Is GOD the entire universe and we are also gods? Does GOD/gods not exist? Is life merely a comic coincidence?

All worldviews share these commonalities:

• They influence the way people live. Even those without a well-thought-out worldview that can be clearly articulated still live by a code based on basic assumptions.
• Worldviews, in fact, are always based on bottom-line assumptions that are not to be challenged or questioned.
• All worldviews compete for allegiance; each claims its own way of looking at the world is the best or only true path.
• Each is, therefore, a contributing factor in making its adherents narrow-minded — even those who claim to be open-minded.
• All worldviews have strict rules that must not be broken.

By learning how worldviews work, you are equipped to understand the assumptions and rules by which others operate. Worldviews determine values, which determine behaviors. Understanding others’ worldviews will not only enable empathy for others, but it will also provide you with a greater appreciation for Truth once the lies are discovered.

Consider this example: In Africa, an elderly woman might greet a young boy by calling him “grandfather.” In that African area, when a child is born, her people perform the Kurenet rite (“the calling”). The women call out ancestral names, “Are you ______?” until the child sneezes. This group firmly believes that the child is the spirit and name of the ancestor that lives in the person of the new baby. Consequently, when the elderly lady calls the young boy “grandfather,” it is an actual family greeting.

Consider a few more examples: Paganism holds that many gods and spirits exist, all competing with one another and typically harming humans. Naturalism says the physical, material world is all that exists. Pantheism holds that the world itself is divine. Syncretism blends together many different worldviews and ignores their fundamental contradictions.

Worldviews are typically evaluated in terms of their coherence, testability, explanatory power and scope, simplicity, and livability. There are many different ways of understanding reality and I intend to investigate all the major worldviews. Understanding others’ worldviews is just as important as understanding your own. In fact, how do you know that your worldview is the most reasonable worldview unless you have examined all other available worldviews? The classic schematic for a worldview is truth. But what is Truth? <– (Click link for next video/article)