Understanding Of Worldview Research Articles

The mis-appropriation of Abraham Kuyper’s ideas about “worldview” by American Evangelical Christians

Beginning in the mid-1970s, the term “worldview” gradually became popular among evangelical and fundamentalist Christians as a result of the work of Francis A Schaeffer. He popularized the term through his best-selling books and films. This paper argues that in developing his thoughts about worldviews, Schaeffer appropriated earlier, and far more sophisticated, theories from Abraham Kuyper and Herman Dooyeweerd. The ideas of these men are explored to enable readers to understand the way evangelicals developed Schaeffer’s ideas. It is argued that they moved away from the way both Schaeffer and his mentors used the term. As a result, they lost sight of the fact that understanding worldviews was intended by Kuyper, Dooyeweerd, and Schaeffer to facilitate discussion between people holding very different views. Instead, worldview was turned into a propaganda device that enable people to avoid engagement with people and ideas they dislike. The paper concludes by suggesting that instead of dismissing Christians who employ worldview thinking for political purposes they ought to be challenged to develop a fuller understanding of worldview and confronted with the insights of Kuyper and Dooyeweerd upon which Schaeffer built his ideas.

He Pounamu Ko Āu: Celebrating a mana wahine Māori narrative

“He wāhine, he whenua, e ngaro ai te tangata.” 
 
 "By women and land, men are lost ‐ also refers to the essential nourishing roles that women and land fulfil, without which humanity would be lost." (Mikaere, 1994) 
 
 My master's is a kaupapa Māori creative, practice-led study that explores my wahine Māori identity. I expound on my journey through moving image, mōteatea (traditional Māori chant, sung poetry), ambient sound, and installation, sharing my healing process of overcoming the adversity of colonisation and the impacts it has had on me as a wāhine Māori. On an artistic level, my research showcases the wahine Māori worldview through film. I use my maternal whakapapa (genealogy) to celebrate intergenerational wāhine talent. As a finale, I honour my Māori creativity through an exhibition: an immersive experience installation at St Paul's Gallery at Auckland University of Technology. Delving deeper into my research, I explore the application of a mana wāhine Māori paradigm, drawing knowledge from whakapapa, whakawhānaungatanga (process of establishing relationships) and wairuatanga (spirituality). My understanding is supplemented with personal experiences, empowering my wāhine Māori pūrākau (stories). Moreover, applying a conceptual identity framework of a pounamu (jade, nephrite) pūrākau methodology (developed by my mother, Dr Alvina Jean Edwards) reinforces my Te Ao Māori worldview understanding and ways of knowing. Further, the pounamu pūrākau methodology provides a valuable lens to review my experimental and explorative moving-image practice. It guided me to my whenua in Te Waipounamu (South Island), activating my art-making process. Finally, Papatūānuku (mother earth) is my atua (god) who is chosen for her healing character and represents a central mana wahine figure within my wahine Māori pūrākau. In this presentation, I will discuss the pounamu pūrākau methodology and the creative methods I took to create all the components for the final exhibition He Pounamu Ko Āu.

FOREIGN EXPERIENCE OF SOLVING CURRENT PROBLEMS OF THEORY AND PRACTICE OF HIGHER FORESTRY EDUCATION

The article summarizes the foreign experience in solving current issues of theory and practice of higher forestry education. Their educational institutions still pay great attention to compiling lists of the most appropriate disciplines for inclusion in the “ideal” educational programs rather than the importance of the educational process itself. The main problems of traditional forestry education and innovative achievements in the European Union in comparison are highlighted. It is proved that forestry education in Morocco has a number of advantages, that are directly related to the centuries-old scientific culture of the country’s forestry, its national and international openness, as well as significant human and technical potential. The author highlights that radical changes in educational systems, as well as in the professional activities of forestry professionals occur in those countries where forest resources are managed, in accordance with the needs of society and the environment. It is expected that the development of research and educational programs in the Free Economic Zone will be carried out faster than planned, as universities are catalysts for both horizontal and vertical interaction between organizations at different levels, thus transforming into innovation incubators. In connection with the above, the directions of forestry education are proposed, which are generalized on the basis of studying foreign experience. It is proved that in Ukraine forestry education is more focused on a broad systematic understanding of worldview and cultural aspects, the acquisition of professional knowledge, while foreign forestry education is focused on practical actions and ethical aspects. We see prospects for further research in studying the problems of training future forestry professionals for professional activities.
 Keywords: foreign experience; forestry education; forest use; forestry specialists; forest pedagogy; higher education; education for sustainable development; European Union.

The specifics of the creative representation of classical and modern texts in the direction of A. Prikhodko

The purpose of the article is to reveal the peculiarities of the interpretive theater direction of A. Prikhodka in the context of experiments with the representation of classical and modern texts. Methodology. Comparative and structural methods have been applied in order to reveal the versatility of the director's intention; the method of hermeneutic and the semiotic method, which contributed to the opportunity to explore the specifics of the director's representation; the hermeneutic method is dominant in the process of evaluating performances since it contributes to the perception of the production as an artistic whole, provided that the functionality of its individual components is understood; the method of semiotic analysis of postmodern stage works, etc. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that the specificity of the representation of classical and modern texts in the work of theatrical director A. Prikhodka is considered in the context of the trends of this process in the modern theatrical space on the basis of comprehensive art history, theater, and cultural analysis. The theoretical views of A. Prikhodka are analyzed, the factors of influence on the production process and its specifics are revealed; an attempt is made to consider the phenomenon of the representation of literary texts from the perspective of postmodern trends in the development of modern Ukrainian theater. Conclusions. The work of A. Prikhodka is characterized by the reworking of the literary source of the production at the text level, including, among other things, a significant substantive reworking - highlighting plot lines, building plot lines, a successive reworking of prose characters into dramatic ones, the emergence of new, non-fictional characters, etc. - turning into a unique a literary script for the author's embodiment of a stage composition with the help of specific means of director's expressiveness of postmodern, realistic and avant-garde theater. The study revealed that the creative representations of classical and modern tests by A. Prikhodka reveal the hidden potential of the literary source, giving it a new philosophical and worldview understanding.
 The purpose of the article is to reveal the peculiarities of the interpretive theater direction of A. Prikhodka in the context of experiments with the representation of classical and modern texts. Methodology. Comparative and structural methods have been applied in order to reveal the versatility of the director's intention; the method of hermeneutic and the semiotic method, which contributed to the opportunity to explore the specifics of the director's representation; the hermeneutic method is dominant in the process of evaluating performances since it contributes to the perception of the production as an artistic whole, provided that the functionality of its individual components is understood; the method of semiotic analysis of postmodern stage works, etc. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that the specificity of the representation of classical and modern texts in the work of theatrical director A. Prikhodka is considered in the context of the trends of this process in the modern theatrical space on the basis of comprehensive art history, theater, and cultural analysis. The theoretical views of A. Prikhodka are analyzed, the factors of influence on the production process and its specifics are revealed; an attempt is made to consider the phenomenon of the representation of literary texts from the perspective of postmodern trends in the development of modern Ukrainian theater. Conclusions. The work of A. Prikhodka is characterized by the reworking of the literary source of the production at the text level, including, among other things, a significant substantive reworking - highlighting plot lines, building plot lines, a successive reworking of prose characters into dramatic ones, the emergence of new, non-fictional characters, etc. - turning into a unique a literary script for the author's embodiment of a stage composition with the help of specific means of director's expressiveness of postmodern, realistic and avant-garde theater. The study revealed that the creative representations of classical and modern tests by A. Prikhodka reveal the hidden potential of the literary source, giving it a new philosophical and worldview understanding.

TOOL OR LENS? WORLDVIEW THEORY AND CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVE LEGAL ACTIVISM

AbstractThis article combines historical and philosophical analysis to examine and critique the ideas motivating Christian conservative legal activism. Such activists routinely claim to be motivated by a Christian worldview, which they define as a comprehensive explanation of reality that determines all their thinking and action, including their legal activism and argumentation. Examination of the historical and philosophical roots of the concept of worldview identified by Christian thinkers reveals two understandings of the concept: an analytic tool for rationally comparing the evidence for different social philosophies, and a pre-theoretical lens that determines what counts as evidence in the first place. Christian conservatives have largely favored the first sense of worldview as a tool to understand issues like sexuality and gender identity in an essentialist way and to demonstrate with foundationalist logic the rational superiority of their legal conclusions about these issues. However, a comparison of the Christian conservative worldview and the queer theory worldview illustrates how this understanding of worldview as a tool fails because there is no neutral perspective outside of any worldview, from which one could examine and compare one to another. The idea of worldview as a pre-theoretical, historically, and socially contingent lens can be more productive. Embracing this notion of worldview in a personalist way is necessary to build a culture of dialogue that uses narrative to pursue the truth while also respecting and honoring the different perspectives from which these narratives are told.

ХУДОЖНЬО-ОБРАЗНА ПРЕЗЕНТАЦІЯ СВІТУ РЕЧЕЙ У МАСОВІЙ КУЛЬТУРІ

The purpose of the article is to determine the sociocultural dimensions of the aestheticization of the communicative space of things; to find out the imagery features of the presentation of the material world in the dimension of such social institutions of mass culture as design and advertising. The research methodology consists of theoretical research methods, systematic and comparative approaches, which made it possible to consider the imagery presentation of goods and services as a factor of the communicative environment at the macro and micro levels. The use of a differentiated approach to the analysis of the categories “subject”, “service”, “product” as objects of imagery presentation required understanding of the differentiation of social functions of imagery presentation of the world of things. The scientific novelty consists in highlighting the features of the processes of imagery presentation of mass media goods and services, in particular in design and advertising. The fact that a thing as a polysemantic concept represents the substantiality of the world, actualizing in art studies as a visual representation of the world, refocusing attention on the thing in its worldview understanding, was demonstrated for the first time. Conclusions. The author has established the fact that behind any objective reality of the modern communicative environment there is a thing as a reality that experiences time and has signs of eternity. The article has revealed that sociocultural dimensions of the aestheticization of the communicative space are associated with the material legitimation of imagery installations of the environment, where the world of things becomes a commodity or represents a certain service. It has been emphasized that the aspect of materiality in design is the most important one. As an element of the human environment, a thing has its own unique image, which requires presentation. It has been shown that imagery presentation of goods and services as a factor of the communicative environment occurs both at the macro and micro levels: at the macro level, it uses a publicly available identity code focused on the organic needs of consumers, and at the micro level, it specifies the audience and determines the imagery content that encourages to action and consumption.

Philosophy of economics of the Ancient Greece

This article examines the philosophy of economic of the Ancient Greece. Philosophical thought of the classics of ancient philosophy raises value and moral-ethnical questions in economic sphere and seeks the ways for their solution. The subject of this research is the stance on economic goods of the ancient society. The goal consists in description of the economic ideas of Xenophon, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Modern philosophical studies do not give due attention to the philosophy of economics, which is not fair, since the discipline “Philosophy of Economics” is aimed primarily at clarification of the essence of philosophical problems of economics, substantiation of the need for scientific cognition of economic relations and the underlying socioeconomic laws. The novelty lies in carrying out a referential overview of philosophical concepts that reflect economic ideas in Ancient Greek philosophy of the classical period. The prerequisites of economic ideas within the system of philosophical knowledge reveal and substantiate two these: inseparability of economic knowledge from ethics and politics, and the regards household management as an art. Economic teachings can be found in works of many Ancient Eastern, Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman philosophers; however, the textbooks do not usually include the ancient economic thought into the general course. The author believes that the fundamentals of economics established namely in this era, and this fact cannot be wiped out of history. The philosophical understanding of worldview and scientific fundamentals, knowledge of economics and economic system as a whole, including everything related to the economy, its place in natural world, society and human culture is very important and should be studied in universities.

Worldview in religious education: autobiographical reflections on The Commission on Religious Education in England final report

ABSTRACT The notion of worldview figures prominently in the recent discourse surrounding Religious Education (RE) in English schools following the publication of the final report of the Commission on Religious Education (CoRE) in 2018. This article reflects on the veracity of this initiative. It begins with an autobiographical reflection on the impact of worldview on the author’s development as a scholar. Then, the work of several critics of CoRE is discussed and a more nuanced understanding of worldview is developed as a result. Finally, the pedagogical implications of the shift to worldview are explored by drawing on the personal development approach of Michael Grimmitt and the responsible hermeneutics approach of Anthony Thiselton.

What is Nonreligion? On the Virtues of a Meaning Systems Framework for Studying Nonreligious and Religious Worldviews in the Context of Everyday Life

Discussions of nonreligion or secularity face a central challenge that has long plagued scholars of religion – that of specifying an object of study. Although several suggestions have been made, I think we can most effectively capture the range of things we want to study by (1) adopting worldviews, defined in terms of “big questions,” as an overarching rubric that encompasses both religious and nonreligious outlooks and (2) nuancing our understanding of worldviews in light of the meaning systems (MS) framework, already in use in psychology. Doing so relieves scholars of the obligation of defining religion and nonreligion and allows us to focus on how individuals and groups characterize themselves. It provides a neutral starting point for analyzing worldviews that is not biased toward religion, and, in so far as a case can be made that all humans must address these questions at least implicitly, it offers a basis for comparison across cultures. The so-called “existentially indifferent” provide a challenge in this regard and allow us to consider the value of an evolutionary perspective on meaning making.

Language capacity is not enough: Be intentional about growing culture and worldview understanding

Understanding a community’s culture and worldview and having capacity in their first language are considered essential elements for engaging in contextual cross-cultural ministry. Many sending organizations provide training, time, resources and programs to help cross-cultural workers grow their language capacity. The same provisions, however, are not often made for gaining culture and worldview understanding. The reasons for this are varied, but include: a tacit belief that adequate culture and worldview understanding occurs naturally with the gaining of language capacity; a belief that workers come equipped for gaining culture and worldview understanding; a lack of suitable culture and worldview inquiry programs, as well as a lack of trained personnel to facilitate them. An Australian cross-cultural ministry sending organization is seeking to address this imbalance structurally in their organization by developing and providing cross-cultural workers with a culture and worldview inquiry program, the facilitation of each cross-cultural worker’s culture and language program, and by training cross-cultural workers in culture and worldview inquiry methods. The results of this are that individuals and teams are growing their language capacities and their understanding of their host communities’ cultures and worldviews, and are applying this knowledge to their engagement with the communities with whom they work.

Teaching belief systems in marketing classes

PurposeMarketing students need better grounding in understanding major worldviews of the twenty-first century, given nearly guaranteed, international interactions with stakeholders. As such, the purpose of this paper is to develop a pedagogy focused upon secular and religious worldviews that can be used effectively in the classroom.Design/methodology/approachA cross-cultural study using data from the USA and China examines current worldview understanding among business school students. A training session in worldviews is then conducted, and a follow-up study is used to assess worldview learning and further interest in learning more about worldviews.FindingsStudent understanding of worldviews is increased through a 1.5-h teaching session. Students’ interest in learning more about worldviews significantly increased after the teaching session.Practical implicationsWorldview training is an effective way to prepare students for interacting with stakeholders in the increasingly global world in which these students will eventually work. Business schools need to incorporate worldview training in international marketing courses, at a minimum, or offer complete courses in worldviews and related applications to business operations.Originality/valuePrior research has not tested worldview training on business students, especially when comparing student learning in a more religious-based culture (USA) and a more secular-based culture (China). Thus, this research shows that worldview training is effective regardless of the culture it is used in, which is important to informing students in a growing global marketplace.

Using a worldview lens to examine complex policy issues: a historical review of bushfire management in the South West of Australia

ABSTRACTThe scale and intensity of bushfire activity in Australia is likely to increase as a result of climate change. Effective bushfire management policy measures are therefore essential to minimise the interrelated social, environmental and economic impacts of fire in the landscape. This paper presents a historical review of bushfire management in the South West of Australia (SW): a bushfire prone and biodiverse region. Using a worldview framework to analyse key policy documents and literature, the paper demonstrates that the evolution of complex policy sectors such as bushfire management, is influenced not only by scientific and technical developments but also as a result of changing worldviews. Adapting the Integrative Worldview Framework (IWF), seven worldview categories that dominated particular periods of history in Australia are presented. These worldview categories are then used to examine the evolution of bushfire management practice, policy and institutional arrangements relevant to the SW. The argument presented herein is that a better understanding of worldviews and how they influence complex and contentious policy fields such as bushfire management, is useful for policy analysis, reflexive practice and research. The paper suggests an integrative worldview approach, which enables opportunities for exchanges and constructive conflict between stakeholders and agencies with diverse worldviews, could contribute to creating more sustainable bushfire management. Finally, it is argued that opportunities for Indigenous and Western worldview exchanges in the bushfire management sector, through collaborative knowledge partnerships could assist the sector in both management practice and policy formulation.

Hitler's Worldview and the Interwar Kulturkampf

This conceptual historical investigation of Adolf Hitler's use of the term ‘worldview’ ( Weltanschauung) opens new perspectives on the debate over the relationship of religion and National Socialism. Most studies of Hitler's worldview have focused on the genealogy of his beliefs, an approach that has led to an anachronistic understanding of worldview. By contrast, this article reveals that Hitler's own usage of the term ‘worldview’ was decisively shaped by the German culture wars that preceded his entrance into politics in 1919. The article shows how the varying Nazi religious policies, from supporting ‘positive Christianity’ during the Weimar Republic to suppressing elements within the churches once taking power, continued to be framed by the dynamics of the culture wars.

Learning and teaching sustainable development in global–local contexts

The overall aim of this thesis is to develop knowledge of teaching and learning sustainable development in global–local contexts. The research field is global learning for sustainable development (GLSD). Phenomenographic approach and contextual analysis were used as methods of analysis, and data was collected by Semi-structured interviews at secondary and upper secondary schools in Sweden.In Study I, a strategic and systematic literature review was conducted of recent trends and critique to the dominating rhetoric on policy level concerning global education and global learning on sustainability issues. The complexity represented in GLSD is of global interest to face current challenges. The global–local context and the process for global learning were characterised by the learner´s perspective and self-efficacy. The variation of ways in which contextual features were revealed, affected how participants experienced their own learning global learning space. In Study II, empirical investigations were conducted on students´, teachers´, and head teachers´ conceptions of implementation of GLSD. Results indicate that critical knowledge capabilities were needed to act towards sustainability globally. Critical knowledge capabilities developed in the processes were to take command and collaborate as a team. Capabilities that were identified as necessary but which had not been sufficiently developed were to be prepared, act in a transdisciplinary manner and lead for holistic understanding in the learning process. Critical knowledge capabilities to handle complex knowledge were characterised by volition, self-directed learning, and knowledge formation.In Study III, a re-analysis was conducted of the data from Study II. The results shed light on pertinent transition skills in GLSD: (I) transdisciplinary action via knowledge formation in actual practices, (II) democratic collaborative action via processes of understanding, respectively (III) self-directed learning and independent initiative. These transition skills, enabling young people to be prepared for unpredictable changes, were perceived as key features in developing young people's capability in an uncertain world. They developed worldview understanding, and advanced transformation competencies including critical reflections upon questions of current normativity.In Study IV, collaborative and transdisciplinary teaching with a global–local perspective was investigated in a study with teachers committed to global learning and sustainable development at an upper secondary school. Two main transdisciplinary teaching approaches of GLSD were distinguished: Contributing: Assist and Take Part respectively Ownership: Possess and Reconceptualise. The contributing approach was divided into the sub-categories: (I) Disheartened, (II) Supportive, and (III) Complementing teaching approaches; while the ownership approach comprised (IV) Decisive, and (V) Multi-dimensional teaching approaches. Various dimensions of the results appeared to be relevant for sustainability teaching and learning in global–local contexts, when connections between the studies were analysed in relation to the context and the overarching aims of the thesis. Through transdisciplinary teaching deep approaches to learning can be developed and global teaching for sustainable development (GTSD) could be advanced. Individual and collaborative learning characterised by self-determination, responsibility, and social readiness leading to action emerged as key aspectsAt a global–local level, there is a growing need to develop competencies and capabilities for transitions towards sustainability. Conflicts and climate change are drastically increasing the number of displaced people who need transnational education on proactive preventive strategies, as well as develop to critical knowledge capabilities that can be useful across numerous contexts and in the face of changing circumstances. Increasingly, also young people need to manage their own learning processes in self-directed learning, regardless of where they are physically or may move in their lifetimes. As established social structures struggle to address global challenges, people across the planet need to be able to organise themselves and to take initiatives. (Less)

American secularism: cultural contours of nonreligious belief systems

A rapidly growing number of Americans are embracing life outside the bounds of organized religion. Although America has long been viewed as a fervently religious Christian nation, survey data shows that more and more Americans are identifying as religious. There are more non-religious Americans than ever before, yet social scientists have not adequately studied or typologized secularities, and the lived reality of secular individuals in America has not been astutely analyzed. American Secularism documents how changes to American society have fueled these shifts in the non-religious landscape and examines the diverse and dynamic world of secular Americans. This volume offers a theoretical framework for understanding secularisms. It explores secular Americans' thought and practice to understand secularisms as worldviews in their own right, not just as negations of religion. Drawing on empirical data, the authors examine how people live secular lives and make meaning outside of organized religion. Joseph O. Baker and Buster G. Smith link secularities to broader issues of social power and organization, providing an empirical and cultural perspective on the secular landscape. In so doing, they demonstrate that shifts in American secularism are reflective of changes in the political meanings of in American culture. American Secularism addresses the contemporary lived reality of secular individuals, outlining forms of secular identity and showing their connection to patterns of family formation, sexuality, and politics, providing scholars of religion with a more comprehensive understanding of worldviews that do not include traditional religion. Data Analyses Appendix Instructor's Guide

The Past in the Present. Landscape Perception, Archaeological Heritage and Marginal Farmland in Jæren, South‐western Norway

This paper examines the background of conflicts in the resource management of a specific type of ‘utmark’ in the agrarian landscape. The historical relationship between empirically experienced ‘utmark’ and the resource management of archaeological heritage and environment surrounding it is analysed. The landscape perceptions of two professional management regimes are used as platforms to gain a wider understanding of worldviews in relation to the ‘utmark’ environment. The landscape orders are based on a landscape cosmology of prehistoric origin, but which modern versions are scaled differently, mirroring changes of worldviews. One management on the other superimposes an extreme dissonance of inferiority between contradictive landscapes aesthetics.

Plural public schooling: religion, worldviews and moral education

Educators seek to nurture in the hearts and minds of students a sense of moral thinking, action and behaviour. What these constitute is dependent on one’s perspective, or worldview. Moral thinking and action emerge from worldviews or visions of life—religious or secular. In the history of common or public schools educators have linked moral education to traditional religion, severed those ties in favour of secular perspectives, and of late have shifted focus to educating for citizenship. In each case concern regarding whose values, morals and perspectives dominate surfaces. In a society with plural perspectives, no one worldview should dominate public schools that should be ‘open to all’. A plural public school grounds moral decision‐making in worldviews, and encourages students to increase their understanding of worldviews in general, while deepening their own in particular. Hence, perspectives that ground moral convictions come to attain particular importance and significance, and it behooves us to explore rather than ignore them.

Rediscovering the Later Version of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Self-Transcendence and Opportunities for Theory, Research, and Unification

The conventional description of Abraham Maslow's (1943 , 1954 ) hierarchy of needs is inaccurate as a description of Maslow's later thought. Maslow (1969a) amended his model, placing self-transcendence as a motivational step beyond self-actualization. Objections to this reinterpretation are considered. Possible reasons for the persistence of the conventional account are described. Recognizing self-transcendence as part of Maslow's hierarchy has important consequences for theory and research: (a) a more comprehensive understanding of worldviews regarding the meaning of life; (b) broader understanding of the motivational roots of altruism, social progress, and wisdom; (c) a deeper understanding of religious violence; (d) integration of the psychology of religion and spirituality into the mainstream of psychology; and (e) a more multiculturally integrated approach to psychological theory.