What Makes A Worldview?
What is a Worldview made of? What is it that makes a Worldview what it is? This article identifies what a Worldview is comprised of and how these elements form a whole.
To help understand what a Worldview is made up of, it is best to consider the context of the concept. A Worldview is something which forms the thinking and behavior of a person. So, when attempting to identify the elements of one, we have to think of it as the elements of a system that produces the mechanisms of thinking, and the behaviors that result. It is not just the product of thinking, but is the framework by and through which a person thinks. Then from this thinking, a person makes certain decisions and acts. So, to answer the question of what makes a Worldview, we must answer the question of what makes up the apparatus a person uses to make decisions and act. These elements are the gears of the apparatus that make the mind turn.
The “Depth” of a Worldview
There are two dimensions to a Worldview that we must consider. The first dimension of a Worldview is its “depth”. The Depth of a Worldview is determined by how deep a level of thought a person puts into forming the Worldview the person holds. To help understand this Depth, we can break up a Worldview into four Levels. These levels are:
- The Superficial
- The Practical
- The Fundamental
- The Philosophical
The Superficial Level of a Worldview consists of those surface level products of the deeper levels of the Worldview which are experienced and lived out in the everyday life of the person. This is the shallowest level of a Worldview, and is driven purely by one’s personal experience in life and the guidance from life’s influences. A person who has not thought of their Worldview any “deeper” than simply their lifestyle, personal preferences, and what brings them what they like is living at the Superficial Level. It is important to note, that even though the person may not care much for, or have ever considered the deeper levels of their Worldview, when they live by the Superficial Level, they are still living in accordance with a Worldview. They are simply not aware of, or are indifferent to, what those deeper levels are, or what the Worldview they are living by really is, and its impact on their life and those they interact with. Such a person is easily swayed by popular opinion, and strives for superficial personal gain as popularity and influence of popular figures govern their living. They may follow contradicting elements of many Worldviews, and may be of a different Worldview at any moment in time and not even be aware of it.
The Practical Level of a Worldview consists of the practical application to life of the deeper levels of the Worldview which make for consistent living as someone who has a known Worldview. This is the next level of a Worldview that produces the Superficial Level. A person who has not carefully reasoned and thought out the Worldview they hold, but who does strive to live according to some set of principles based on their consistent benefits and results, utilizes the Practical Level. Such a person may live a seemingly principled life, but they have not given much thought (though likely at least some thought) to the justification for those principles. They learned their principles from some institution in their life (family, friends, community, etc.) and they do greatly appreciate them. However, they tend to be led by authority, though they may be more skeptical of the popular. Having not carefully and rationally considered the reasons and justifications for how they live their life, they do not necessarily know the principles and values upon which their lifestyle is based. They do strive to live a consistent pattern of habits that produce results they desire. The person may actually know what Worldview they are a part of, but really only have a love for it or an appreciation of it, but not much understanding of what it is.
The Fundamental Level of a Worldview consists of those strongly held values and principles produced by a system of beliefs that can be practically applied to life and that justify the way one lives. This deeper level of a Worldview is the entry point at which a person begins to really solidify the reasons and justifications for their Worldview. The person knows what the Worldview is, and the person is able to defend it well enough, but when hard pressed, it becomes difficult. The person can identify what their values are and what principles guide their thinking and behavior. However, they tend to struggle with justifying why those values are so important, and what makes the principles right. These individuals tend to be very proud of their Worldview, and have a personal identification with it. They do not care too much for the superficial, but those practical and superficial things that stand out as true models or products of their Worldview (identified in art, music, literature, and traditions) they greatly value. A person at this level is not easily swayed, and defends their Worldview from a more personal position. They may seem bigoted or arrogant about their Worldview, but only because they have difficulty defending it rationally and/or philosophically.
The Philosophical Level of a Worldview consists of the system of beliefs formed out of the answers to the philosophical questions of God, Man, and the Cosmos and is the root of all the other levels. This is the deepest level of a Worldview, and it is from these answers that all the other levels are derived. A person who is at the Philosophical Level has the ability to defend their Worldview with confidence and at what may be called an “intellectual” level. They know their values and principles, and why they are justified in holding them. They live out the Worldview strongly and tend to want to bring others to adopt their Worldview also. They tend to be more receptive to the Worldviews of others, knowing their own answers, confident in their ability to stand against criticism. This is where a person has full awareness and understanding of their Worldview and wholly identifies as being of the Worldview. They have a devotion to living out the practical nature of the Worldview, and have a great appreciation of the traditions, the culture, and the personality of the Worldview.
We’ve identified these Levels of a Worldview as it is important to understand that every Worldview is comprised of answers and features that fit into each of these levels. Going back to our context here, a person can be said to “hold” a Worldview at one of these levels. However, just because they hold to a Worldview superficially or practically, doesn’t then mean that Worldview does not still have content at those other levels. It simply means that the person may not be aware of what they are, or have not identified them through their own rational thinking. However, regardless of the level at which a person holds to their Worldview, all Worldviews have these levels. This then leads us to the next dimension of a Worldview.
The “Breadth” of a Worlview
The next dimension of a Worldview is its “breadth”. This term is used intentionally as we may understand the breadth of something as being is appreciated size. One might refer to the comprehensive whole of something by speaking of its whole “length and breadth”. The Breadth of a Worldview is determined by the more tangible products of knowledge that it produces that are of practical use to the person who holds to it. The breadth of a Worldview can be broken down into several products or elements that make up the fullness of what a Worldview provides for a person.
- Core Beliefs
- The Narrative Story (Meta-narrative)
- Ultimate objective
- Ethic
- Practical Application
The Core Beliefs of a Worldview is the total body of answers to the philosophical questions of God, Man, and the Cosmos which justify and/or validate the Worldview. One could refer to these core beliefs as the body of evidence which convince or persuade an individual to accept the Worldview as legitimate and real. This is the true substance of a Worldview that is found at that Philosophical Level. The answers are formed according to the laws of logic, and take the form of well reasoned arguments built on known facts. It is from the Core Beliefs, and the rational assembly of them as a coherent whole, that forms the System of Beliefs. This is the framework through which thoughts are processed. As a person gathers data from the world around them, the relevant Core beliefs come in to help sort out the data and organize it into useful information. These Core Beliefs then work with that information to form thoughts, make decisions, and formulate actions that should be taken in response along with the person’s own personality and character.
The Narrative Story or “Meta-narrative” of a Worldview is a comprehensive and holistic telling of the Core Beliefs in a manner that makes it easily relatable and that brings it all together into one coherent whole. The Narrative Story tends to cross the bridge between the Philosophical Level and the Practical Level. Some narratives may include within it the fundamentals, but it has its use more fittingly at the practical. Those who dwell more at the Practical level of a Worldview may know the Narrative Story of the Worldview to which they hold, and it is that Narrative Story which provides them with all the answers they need in as much intellectual depth as they personally require. This comes in various forms, but it often finds its way into the traditions, literature, art, and music of a Worldview as this often historical story helps bring the Worldview into relevance for a person.
The Ultimate Objective of a Worldview is the direction giving goal or purpose that can be lived out and is often the driving force behind the Ethic, lifestyle, and culture of those who hold to the Worldview. This tends to be the most well-known element even among those at a Superficial Level. Indeed, it is this Ultimate Objective that, if appealing enough, is the sole justification for the superficial level person to even consider the Worldview as tenable. This element gives direction, meaning, purpose, and vision to those who hold to the Worldview and what the Worldview intends to do with the world. It tends to have the greatest moral influence over the person. When a person’s character and personality fit, it is the Ultimate Objective which may become the sole driving force of all they do turning the person into what one might call an Idealist.
The Ethic of a Worldview is that total body of values that are held as virtues and principles that bring about those virtues in the person, and that form the moral framework for the person holding the Worldview. The Ethic is the most influential and directive element of the Worldview. It impacts most directly how the person holding to the Worldview treats the self and other human beings. A person with a strong connection to the Ethic dwells at least at the Fundamental Level of a Worldview. They justify the practical application of the Worldview from a moral position more often than not, and will judge the worth of the superficial level products of the Worldview carefully for its moral worth. It is the Ethic of a Worldview that most frequently finds itself in conflict with other Worldviews and has a serious, emotional element to it.
The Practical Application of a Worldview is the most impactful element, providing the answers to the question of “How then shall we live?” This element is what makes all the other elements worthwhile to a person. At the end of the day, it is the practical application of the Worldview to life that matters the most in a general sense. If the Core Beliefs of the Worldview become validated by the practical application of those beliefs in life experience, then the Worldview’s validity to the person becomes solidified. This is the more social element to a Worldview that governs how persons holding to it view the way others live, and that applies the Ethic to determine how people should or ought to live together in a society. This is where the Worldview influences culture, community, politics, economics, science, and the arts. It is the literal application of the Worldview to every aspect of life the Worldview finds significant, valuable, and worthwhile. If in living the Practical implications of the Worldview’s Core Beliefs, the person finds reality to contradict a Core Belief, then the worth or validity of that Worldview becomes compromised in the eyes of the person. If the person can not adapt through logic the Core Beliefs of the Worldview to what they have experienced in reality, the person moves into a challenging period of life as the world is turned upside down and they try to makes sense of it all.
Conclusion
All of the elements make up the substance of each of the levels of a Worldview. While we might be able to use a different means of identifying “what makes up a Worldview,” this seems the most comprehensive on a high level. All of the finer details of a Worldview tend to fall into these categories. It can be best summarized as providing the answers to questions of Origin, Meaning, Morality, and Destiny. These answers may go deep, or be somewhat shallow, but every person has at least some way of answering these four categories of questions. When pressed to explain, the elements identified here tend to be the best tools that a person can use to explain the Worldview which the person holds. These elements also become useful tools to apply to life’s challenges and discoveries. It is through these elements a person interprets the facts they discover in life. They are the gears of the mechanism of critical reasoning that forms our Worldview. With that said, it is always important to remember the context. We are describing this framework, this system, by and through which a person gathers data, organizes it into useful information, and then makes decisions and acts. By grasping these two dimensions of Worldviews, I think you can now say you know what a Worldview is made of, and now have something you can use to figure out what your own Worldview is.
