Definition of World View
A world view is the foundational belief system upon which one’s entire understanding of the “big picture” of all existence, and the more immediate “small picture” one’s personal existence, is based.i. It is the answer to “why” things happen, exist (or don’t exist)
ii. It answers “where” things come from and “where” they go.
iii. It is the motivation for one to act and not act.
iv. It is the motivation for one to believe and not believe.
v. It is the underlying reason for emotional response: i.e. fear, peace, etc.
Test to determine your own world view:
EVERYONE has a world view, but not everyone is aware of the one they hold.• Someone might feel that the Earth is dying, mankind is growing more self-destructive, the future looks bleak and there is little or nothing we can do about it.
Such a person might be said to hold to a “Fatalist” world view.
• Another person may claim to believe in or trust in a God yet never acknowledges any type of god in either times of crisis or in times of great prosperity.
Such a person might claim to have a “Theist” world view and be unaware that they truly operate by an “Atheist” World View
• The same can be said for a person who claims an “atheist” World View, yet in distress they seek out a Deity in desperation (foxhole theism)
Philosophy: Philos (loving) Sophia (wisdom/knowledge)
• Prov 4:5-7 Get wisdom (Chokmah)! Get understanding (biynah)! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love “ ‘ahab” (philos) her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
We are all philosophers, old and young, its just a matter of what our “personal philosophy” is.
We are a reasoning and thinking species. It is this very ability to “reason” that secular scientists and thinkers feel, separates us from the animals.
We are complex and unique creatures and our view of the world can be equally complex and unique as well. 7 basic, but universal philosophical disciplines provide a framework for a person’s worldview:
- Philosophy of Religion - Who or what is the supreme authority in the Universe?
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- Some common world views pertaining to the philosophy of religion
Monotheism
Deism
Polytheism
Pantheism
Agnosticism
Atheism
Nihilism
Relativism
Solipsism
Asceticism
- Philosophy of Politics - How should people be governed?
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- Some common world views pertaining to the philosophy of politics:
Communist
Fascist
Anarchist
Nepotist
Oligarch
Capitalist
Conservative
Liberal
Pacifist
Theocracy
Democracy
Monarchist
Collectivist (c.f. communist)
Totalitarianism
- Epistemology (Philosophy of Truth) - What is reality? What is truth? What can be known?)
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- Some common world views pertaining to epistemology.
Skeptic
Realist
Defeatist
Idealist
Optimist
- Metaphysics (Philosophy of Matter) - Where does everything seen and unseen come from? How does it all relate?
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- Some common world views pertaining to metaphysics.
Deist
Agnostic
Atheist
Pantheist
Naturalist
- Futurology (Philosophy of the Future) - Where is mankind headed? What does the future look like?
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- Some common world views pertaining to futurology.
Relativist
Solipsist
Hedonist
Objectivist
Absolutist
Egalitarian
- Praxeology (Philosophy of methods or methodology) - How do things get done in the world?
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- Some common world views pertaining to praxeology.
Empiricist
Positivist
Pragmatist
Utilitarian
Existentialist
Determinist
Fatalist
Stoic
Altruistic
Ascetic
- Philosophy of Ethics/Morality (How should things be done in the world?)
Individualist
Mystic
Nominalist
Altruistic
Ascetic
Atheist
The following test is a general guide to helping us examine and ultimately define the world view we already hold. It will eventually be an automated results test but for now it is completed via manual entry.
The test is phrased with the pronoun “we” which applies to the human race in general. The idea is for us to think in generalities to determine our view of the world, how it works, how it applies to us, the people in it, and how we relate to them, and they to us. Obviously, there are no wrong answers and similar to an enneagram test, the more honest you are, the more accurate the results. Also, our world view can change over time.
1. Where do you think everything came from?
A. Big Bang or similar theory whereby all life evolved.
B. A Creator of some kind.
C. Can’t know the answer to this question
D. Everything always existed in some way, shape, or form
E. A Creator who has turned it over to mankind.
2. How do we know what is good or what is bad (evil)?
A. It is inherent (nature), inborn naturally, Deity has nothing to do with it.
B. It is nurtured, our morals are shaped by experience: people, stimuli, etc.
C. It is inherent in our nature, we are born with it, as a result of the original
tree of good and evil
D. It is a combination of A and B.
E. It is a combination of B and C.
3. Why do good things happen to good people?
A. Its a matter of pure chance, not luck, nor destiny, just chance
B. What goes around, comes around, its the law of the universe (not a Deity)
C. God rewards good people with good things
D. No one deserves good things. All good comes as a gift from a generous God.
E. Good people put themselves in a position to receive good things.
F. Combination of A and E
G. Combination of C and E
4. Why do good things happen to bad people?
A. Its a matter of pure chance, not luck, nor destiny, just chance
B. Good things are sent even to an evil person by a Deity as a special gift to teach
them to be good.
C. God gives good things to all people good and bad without discretion at times.
D. Good is a reward from good deeds done in a past life, received in a person’s
current incarnation.
E. There is no rhyme or reason whatsoever to the universe. Life is not fair.
F. Combination of A and E
G. Combination of B and C
5. Why do bad things happen to bad people?
A. Its a matter of pure chance, not luck, nor destiny, just chance
B. What goes around, comes around, its the law of the universe (not a Deity)
C. God repays bad people with bad things
D. Some bad is caused by the person, some is the result of a fallen, broken world,
some is the result of an unseen adversary.
E. Bad people put themselves in a position to receive bad things.
F. Combination of A and E
G. Combination of C and E
6. Why do bad things happen to good people?
A. Its a matter of pure chance, not luck, nor destiny, just chance
B. What goes around, comes around, its the law of the universe (not a Deity)
C. God repays bad people with bad things
D. Some bad is caused by the person, the rest is the result of a fallen, broken world.
E. Bad people put themselves in a position to receive bad things.
F. Combination of A and E
G. Combination of C and E
7. Why is there evil in the world at all? i.e. How did it get here?
8. How do we get rid of all evil in the world?
9. Why should we do good things for people?
10. Why do we sometimes fail to do good things for people?
11. Why should we avoid doing bad things to other people?
12. Why do we sometimes fail to avoid doing bad things to other people?
13. Should we only believe what we can sense with our five senses: seeing, hearing, touching?
14. Why or why not?
15. How do you respond to times of great distress? great success?
World View Categories
A. Religious World Views1. Atheist
i. Soft Skeptic - If there is a god, we cannot truly “know” him or her.
ii. Hard Skeptic - There is no way of ever knowing if there is a god.
iii. Humanist - Man is his own god.
iv. Darwinist - The natural order of the universe is god.
v. Marxist - The state is god. Religion is the “opiate of the masses”
2. Theist
i. Monotheist - There is one God and Creator of all things seen and unseen
ii. Pantheist - We all become god as a process of enlightenment over several lifetimes
iii. Animist - Spirits of the dead and spirits in all of nature are all we have to do with.
iv. Deist - There is a God, but he has virtually nothing to do with what happens in the world.
B. Societal World Views
1. Conservative
2. Pragmatist
3. Fatalist
4. Liberal
5. Marxist
6. Fatalist
7. Darwinist
C. Political World Views
1. Conservative
2. Liberal
3. Moderate
4. Anarchist
D. Economic World View
1. Conservative
2. Liberal
3. Moderate
At the core of all world views, is the ultimate categorization of God/Not God, Man is first/mankind is not first
A Humanist might answer the above questions as follows
i. The Universe has been eternal OR the Universe sprang into being spontaneously (Big Bang)
ii. Good and bad is the result of either nature or nurturing, most probably nurturing. People are basically good and if given the proper modeling, teaching, information, apart from religion and superstition, will make the proper choices. In essence, good and bad is the result of good and bad choices which is the result of good or bad modeling
iii. Man is basically good, evil will be reduced as man is educated that he must allow others the same freedom of choice that he enjoys.
iv. We do good things for other people because it is the right thing to do and it makes the world a better place. Lack of knowledge, lack of respect for the human being. Bad modeling are causes for personal shortcomings, but on the whole very little bad or evil is ever done by a true humanist who understands the principles of respect.
v. We believe what we hear if it is from the perspective of a person who
sees man as the center of the universe and not God. If it is from a Theist perspective, it is rejected outright because religion is detrimental to human advancement. We do not believe everything
we see in that many supposed eyewitnesses to “miracles” are nothing more than optical illusions, yet-unexplained phenomena, or worse, the deception of a charlatan. (However, we still claim that the Christian god is false because we can’t see him or have not seen him. We’re funny that way)
vi. In times of great distress, we trust in ourselves personally or designated
organizations and governmental institutions that have been created by man to address the difficulty (i.e. hospitals, FEMA, etc.). We are also willing to seek the support of (or be a support to) friends and family. We are NOT, however, inclined in any way to trust in an unseen deity or a religious organization that does so. Religion and unseen deities are nothing more than a crutch for the weak.
In times of great success, we just chalk it up to the fact that a
person does not need a god or gods or some religion to be successful. Since we are in control of our own destiny, we have only ourselves to thank for our success. It is the result of our own hard work not that of any “benevolent deity”
A Christian theist might answer the questions in the following way:
i. Everything comes from the Creator of the Universe, known as God, it
was all created “the seen from the unseen” through the person of His Son Jesus Christ.
ii. Good happens to people because of the grace of God. We believe that
every good thing proceeds from “Father of Lights”. Personal comfort and happiness are wholly separate things from “good”. Sometimes a thing can be ‘good’ for us but yet “uncomfortable” or even “painful”. At other times a thing that is evil can be quite “comfortable” and “feel good” to a Christian even though it is overtly or covertly harmful to another individual. Christians are careful to keep the concept of “good” separate from the concepts
of “personal comfort and happiness”. We believe that “bad things”
happen sometimes as a result of a person’s choices but at other
times as a result of living in a world that is “fallen” which means
that it is not functioning according to the original plan of God and
as a result of the original sin of Adam, sickness, pain, suffering,
and death were all introduced to a perfect environment and
perpetuate until the time that they are ultimately dealt with by His
Son Jesus.
iii. Why is there evil in the world and how does it get solved?
The presence of evil is as a result of the events described above,
also as a result of an enemy described to us by the Holy Spirit (in the Bible) as the ‘accuser’ satan, ‘slanderer’ the devil, or the enemy of our souls that accuses us night and day to God. All sources of evil: Satan, the Fallen World, and man’s fleshly nature, will be dealt with at the second coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There is no contradiction (as is supposed by the atheist) of the simultaneous existence of an “All loving God” who would want to do away with evil, an “All Powerful God” who could do away with evil, and the presence of evil. What the atheist has failed to grasp is the understanding that an all-powerful, all-loving God may have already chosen to deal with evil over a specified time. And the current temporary existence of evil is actually serving a higher purpose in God’s plan.
iv. A Christian does good things for people because the God that created
us has done great things for us. He loved us while we didn’t care about (or even hated) Him. The Eternal Son suffered and died to pay the eternal cost of our sins against the Eternal Father. He then asks of us to love one another as He has loved us. To love those that hate us and spitefully use us. Loving them involves doing good for them. We do bad things on occasion because God tells us that we still have the task of putting to death our “old sin nature” which “grows corrupt”. This is a contention that will continue throughout the Christian’s life. He or she is not perfect, but are
being perfected and with maturity, the acts of “badness” will decrease (hopefully sooner than later).
v. We do not believe everything we hear or see but rather, we weigh
everything according to the Word of God. We also pray for wisdom and discernment from The Holy Spirit when faced with a situation that requires knowledge of truth and warning of error. Our eyes can deceive us, so we walk by faith that our God will guide our steps. There is a way that seems right to a man but in the
end it leads to death-Proverbs 14:12
vi. How do you respond to times of great distress? great success?
