Relational Worldview Research Articles

Ecologism, environmental protection, and liberal-democratic decision-making

This article examines the relationship between political liberalism and environmental philosophy. The goal of the study is to determine the extent to which the concerns of environmental philosophers - especially the views associated with deep ecology or - may be addressed within a liberal–democratic framework of political justification. Is it permissible for a citizen to exercise political power over other citizens on the basis of a comprehensive view of the world (e.g., ecologism) that those other citizens might reasonably reject? I argue that, in a number of ways, political liberalism can indeed accommodate citizens who wish to bring their environmentalist commitments, including politically radical commitments, into the public political forum. But there is a limit to this accommodation. In cases of disagreement over fundamental, constitutional questions about how to organize human society, political liberalism requires citizens to restrain their appeal to the truth claims of ecologism and related worldviews.

Culture as a resource for mental health.

This article is based on the author's address at the National Multicultural Conference and Summit III in Los Angeles, California, in January 2003. The author focuses on culture as a resource--a resource for theories that can inform one's understanding of human behavior; a resource for healing, self-help, and positive emotions; a resource for clinical practice; and a resource for mental health and wellness. The author uses a healing story from native culture to describe the essence of his relational worldview and to reframe the professional thinking about culture as one of the greatest assets for healing and mental wellness rather than as a problem to solve.

Time, tense and special relativity

In this essay I address the issue of whether Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity counts against a tensed or “A-series” understanding of time. Though this debate is an old one, it continues to be lively with many prominent authors recently arguing that a genuine A-series is compatible with a relativistic world view. My aim in what follows is to outline why Special Relativity is thought to count against a tensed understanding of time and then to address the philosophical attempts to reconcile the two theories. I conclude that while modern physics on its own does not rule out the possibility of a real A-series, the combination of Einstein's theory and the philosophical arguments against tense is decisive. The upshot is that the tenseless or “B-series” view of time is the best one.

Looking for a worldview: Perceptual practice in an ecological age.

Abstract Perceptual tendencies conditioned by western values emphasize object identification. This implies separatist modes of perception and consciousness which, from an ecopsychological perspective, are at the root of the ecological crisis. Alternatively, I suggest developing a way of seeing that encourages the perception of relationships. I also propose a new psychology of vision which acknowledges that vision changes. Neurophysiological research suggests that alterations in visual system structure and function require attention. This implies refocusing our attention on relationships in order to facilitate a relational worldview. Ultimately, I am proposing a hermeneutics of perception, in which mindful participation in the act of perceiving changes our worldview.

The decline of the modern paradigm in education

The education system is widely perceived to be functioning poorly, and this paper argues that there is in fact a deep crisis caused by the gap between the system and the changing world that surrounds it. “Post-modern” conditions stress the production of information rather than the productivity of land or capital, and a relativistic world-view rather than adherence to a fixed religion or ideology, which in turn gives rise to pluralism and shifting social frameworks. At the same time, the pursuit of Truth is no longer seen as the highest goal in life, and the possession of proof of education is no longer a guarantee of access to the “Good Life”. Educational institutions are dysfunctional because they remain wedded to outmoded parameters in their aims, activities, structures, methods and perceptions of their clientele. Through a wide-ranging review of recent conceptual debate and assessment of social trends, the paper explores the implications of radical contemporary changes in the parameters: the search for a new paradigm of education has only just begun.

Brief report: Relativism and identity crisis in young adulthood

This study investigated the relationship between epistemological world views and identity formation. Forty college students, aged 17 to 23 years, were presented with a paradigm belief scale (Social Paradigm Belief Inventory; SPBI), an identity status questionnaire, and an indepth interview about a conflict they had recently experienced. It was hypothesized that a relativistic world view would be related to a moratorium identity status because relativistic thought processes involve a questioning of the objectivity of knowledge and authority structures and hence an awareness of the variety of alternative and potentially conflicting roles and choices. Results indicated that relativism was the most common world view used when responding to questions about a personal conflict and that relativistic scores on the SPBI were predictive of the moratorium status. Relativistic scores on the SPBI were also negatively related to identity achievement, as were mechanistic scores. Females experienced moratorium to a greater extent than males but were not more relativistic. Results are discussed in terms of linkages among cognitive development, psychosocial development, gender, and the type of measures used to assess world view status.

The Nature of Time

Raymond Flood and Michael Lockwood (eds) 1986 Oxford: Basil Blackwell viii + 187 pp price £19.50 ISBN 0 631 14807 8

Indigenous knowledge as culturally-centred education in South Africa

Despite recognition in various educational and related policies, the knowledge and worldviews of indigenous people of South Africa continue to play a marginal role in the country's education (Breidlid, 2003, 2004). While acknowledging the importance of formal western education in providing the skills needed for negotiating a variety of roles in life, this article questions its alienating effect on the majority of the country's black population. It contends that Curriculum 2005 (C2005), South Africa's dominating western education system, ignores and even negates important aspects of the learning processes of its traditionally-based communities. The article highlights the contradictions between the local and spiritual nature of indigenous knowledges, on the one hand, and the global and material tendencies of modern western knowledge production, on the other, calling for a dual-mode model of schooling for indigenous communities. In doing so it rejects ‘universal’ approaches to education as insufficiently situated in the worldviews and day to day activities of indigenous people and draws from Molefi Asante's ideas of Afrocentricity and Michael Cole's (1996) arguments for a cultural psychology to suggest culture-centred learning as an alternative.