What is a Worldview?

Take Your Compass #1 Worldview Basics Part 1

Take Your Compass #1 - What is a Worldview?

Worldview Definition: 

“A comprehensive set of truth claims that purport to paint a picture of reality; the framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world.” - Dr. Del Tackett

There are different definitions and opinions on Worldview.  For my purposes here, a Worldview is only an actual Worldview if it follows the definition above.  Non-comprehensive claims, and others, are categorized as partial worldviews or as ideologies that proceed from a Worldview according to their attributes.

All comprehensive worldviews share these things:

• A view of God, or no-God (Theology)

• A view of man (Anthropology)

• A view of the origin of things 

• A view of the nature of things (Cosmology)

• A view on what the essence of things is (Ontology)

• A view of what exists and might or might not exist beyond the material universe (Metaphysics)

• A view of human beings and their environment and culture (Sociology)

• A view of the mental, emotional, spiritual, and interior life of human beings (Psychology)

• A view of the State including law, government, and politics

• A view of right and wrong, and values (Axiology)

A proper worldview will have:

• Internal consistency

• Explanatory power

• Empirical adequacy or sufficiency.

Therefore, proper worldviews must be logical.  They must be able to explain many different kinds of phenomena, and they must fit with reality.  A proper Worldview must have an answer for the basic questions of this life, this world, this universe.

Next week, What Are The Questions?

Thank you for reading!  

JW

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” - C.S. Lewis