The world-famous English writer Agatha Christie once remarked:
This is a strange world, where two people look at the same thing, but see the complete opposite.
Agatha Christie
It is amazing that all of us, so different, so special and individual, can get along in the same world, live in at least partial mutual understanding. But why are we so different? In fact, worldview plays a huge role in our lives. How is it formed? What does it represent? We will try to answer these and other questions further.
Concept and structure of worldview
The term “worldview” belongs to the field of philosophical teaching. In fact, all philosophical science is aimed mainly at studying a person’s worldview, studying the sources of its formation and the factors influencing it. The first philosophers to devote their works to worldview were Immanuel Kant (who did not distinguish it from the concept of “worldview”) and Wilhelm Schelling. The latter used this term in the sense in which we interpret it today.
Based on accumulated philosophical knowledge, we define a worldview as a set of a person’s most general ideas about the world, about his place in this world, about his possibilities and about the ways of translating these possibilities into reality. From the definition it is clear that in the course of life a person forms a certain picture of the universe, reflects on his place in it, tries to assess his capabilities, strengths, as well as the barriers that prevent him from implementing his plans.
Worldview is an integral part of worldview, which refers to an already established system of ideas and understanding of the world around us and our place in it. However, it, the worldview, is preceded by some more stages of perception of the world. In general, the scheme for forming an assessment of the world is as follows:
Attitude → Worldview → Worldview → Worldview
At the same time, worldview is understood as the most superficial level of perception of the world, the primary awareness of comfort or discomfort in life, a separate part of it. Worldview is the level of reason and the formation of elementary connections between one’s personality and the world around us.
It is also necessary to remember that the worldview is created due to environmental conditions and external factors, but all incoming information about them is refracted under our emotional background, which is understood as the totality of our characteristic traits, temperament, characteristics of the nervous system, etc. Therefore, it is important to maintain emotional balance in order to adequately perceive the surrounding reality.
An important component of a person’s ideological system are also the norms and values that accompany the period of our life. In this case, religious, legislative, moral, etc. norms are understood. This component of the worldview is formed due to the place in which we were born, mentality, upbringing, interests, as well as other factors.
7.2. Worldview parameters of professional activity
Worldview structure
A person’s entire life, his behavior and activity (in all its forms) are in one way or another connected with the worldview of the individual.
Let us remember that a worldview is the totality of a person’s views on the world and his place in it, and its central issue is a person’s attitude to the world. These views can be both spontaneous and conscious: if in the first case they are mainly at the level of everyday consciousness, then in the second they often rise to the theoretical level and acquire, to one degree or another, a scientific character. However, in any case, a worldview is a rather complex spiritual formation, in which the following main elements can be distinguished:
• knowledge
− representing, as mentioned earlier, more or less reliable information about the world. In terms of its generality and significance, worldview knowledge is very different: a person usually has both extremely general knowledge (philosophical, religious, scientific, etc.), and relatively private knowledge (for example, special, professional) and even purely individual, relating only to him personally;
• beliefs
− knowledge, as if passed through a person’s personal experience, correlated with it. Conviction is knowledge in the truth of which a person is confident, although often beliefs can be objectively erroneous, based on delusions;
• values
− ideas, ideas, knowledge, etc., which are the most important and significant for a person and by which he is guided in life;
• ideals
− certain higher goals, perfect examples (of social life, human behavior, professional activity, personal relationships, etc.), to which people and humanity usually strive, but which, as a rule, are really unattainable: there is no “ideal society” in the world , “ideal people”, etc.
Activity in the mirror of worldview
It is obvious that all of the named elements of the worldview are not separated from each other by hard edges, they intersect and flow into each other. Thus, personal beliefs are usually of great value to a person and often relate to certain ideals: “I am convinced that an absolutely just society can be built on Earth.” But one way or another, they all enter into the structure of the worldview and determine the content and meaning of human life and activity, including professional ones. It is on them that a person relies in search of an answer to the most important ideological questions: what is the meaning of my life? What am I working for? In what ways do I have the right to realize my life goals? It is clear that people’s answers to such questions largely depend on the nature of their worldview, the beliefs, values and ideals that dominate it. An old parable tells that two laborers working on the construction of a church were asked: “What are you doing here?” One replied: “Don’t you see - I’m carrying stones!” The other said: “I am building a temple.” There is no need to say how different the ideological values of these people are...
One of the most significant phenomena that a person often “views” through the prism of his worldview is his professional activity (work), its meaning and value. Obviously; that the attitude of an individual to his profession is largely determined by the assessment of work that prevails in the public consciousness - and it was different in specific historical eras. Thus, in ancient Greece, physical labor was the lot of slaves and artisans and was considered an unworthy occupation for a free citizen: its activity was reduced to intellectual activities in the field of philosophy, science, and art. In the Middle Ages, work was assessed as a kind of punishment once assigned by God to man for his fall (“By the sweat of your brow you will eat bread” - Bible. Genesis
, 3.19), and spiritual life was considered higher than practical life. In a capitalist society, hard work and enterprise, on the contrary, were proclaimed (primarily in the ethics of Protestantism) as the highest virtues of a person, and work began to be considered as an attribute of his existence. And today, any professional activity (both practical and intellectual) is considered not so much a form of human self-realization, but rather a means for ensuring his existence. More Marx o[45]. Another thing is that these needs, as a source of professional activity of the individual, should not be reduced to material wealth, and the main occupation of a person “should be life itself, and not the production of means of life”[46].
Worldview and professional thinking
At the same time, the worldview of a specialist determines not only his general assessment of his professional activity, but to a large extent also its specifics - those methods, norms and rules of thinking and practical actions that he uses in the labor sphere. All of them, one way or another, are based on the knowledge that the specialist possesses and on his practical experience. The level of cultural activity of any specialist is most clearly manifested in the style of professional thinking
− a stable system of principles, rules and norms of theoretical and practical thinking that guide and regulate his work activity. The system of such professional regulations is, in essence, a concrete manifestation of a worldview in its active, operational form - all its elements work here: knowledge, beliefs, values and ideals. In this case, one can detect some dependence: the more standard, template problems a specialist solves, the more often he turns to his usual empirical knowledge and practical skills (for example, he knows well the methods and rules of metal forming); and vice versa, the more non-trivial the problem that confronts him (for example, how to correctly evaluate new facts and generalize them), the more he needs theoretical, methodological and philosophical knowledge. Therefore, the style of professional thinking consists of regulations of varying degrees of generality and significance - from specifically practical to scientific, theoretical and philosophical. The role of the first and second in professional activity is obvious and “transparent”, so we will dwell only on the philosophical component of the specialist’s culture.
A true master of his craft must, by and large, be a kind of “practical philosopher,” that is, have a certain system of philosophical knowledge and be able to apply it to analyze a wide variety of situations - everyday, professional, social. Therefore, in the style of his thinking there must be a “philosophical core” - a set of philosophical and methodological prescriptions that guide the specialist in his active work. An analysis of professional thinking shows that in its various types it is possible to identify some general philosophical principles and attitudes. The main ones include the following:
• principle of objectivity
, which requires a specialist to be able to impartially assess reality, build a strategy and tactics of professional activity in accordance with the true (objective) state of affairs, distinguish what is desired from what is real, get rid of social and other illusions, etc.;
• principle of comprehensiveness
, which presupposes the desire to take into account as many properties and connections of the object of one’s activity as possible, the ability to go beyond highly specialized ideas, to assimilate knowledge and experience of other professions (primarily related ones), etc.;
• principle of historicism
, which focuses on the analysis and consideration of the evolution of the subject of activity (its past, present and possible future - remember, for example, the medical term “medical history”), on the desire to see elements of the future in the present and outline trends in their development, on the ability to abandon outdated theoretical dogmas and practical methods, an innovative approach to business;
• principle of inconsistency
, which directs the specialist to approach objects and phenomena as a unity of opposing trends, properties and relationships - for example, taking into account the complex interaction of personal and social interests in the work team, the dual influence of scientific and technical innovations on the established technology of the enterprise, etc. Today this principle should be supplemented with a kind of “rule of cooperativity” (in the context of the achievements of synergetics): it is necessary to identify not only contradictory elements of the system, but also their coordinated (cooperative) actions, which can lead it to more advanced states and qualities;
• the principle of “human dimension”
, which requires a humanistic approach to professional activity - its orientation towards a feasible solution, first of all, to human problems (and not, say, purely technical ones), to foreseeing undesirable side effects of a specialist’s activity, to taking into account the ethical, aesthetic, and environmental factors of human existence. In other words, today, in the age of unprecedented scientific and technological progress, humanitarian expertise of all types of professional activities - especially innovative ones - is especially necessary.
The list of philosophical and ideological regulators of a specialist’s activity could be continued - after all, almost any position of a philosophical theory has, strictly speaking, methodological potential. Let us emphasize only the main thing - it is philosophical culture that makes the professional thinking of a specialist creative, uninhibited, critical, gives him additional “degrees of freedom” and ultimately makes the professional an original person, capable of independently choosing the necessary actions and extraordinary solutions to the problems facing him.
Types and types of worldview
The classical classification of worldview comes down to distinguishing two types of worldview: ordinary and scientific.
The everyday worldview is spontaneous in nature, that is, it is formed unconsciously, through the usual perception of information, drawing up simple practical conclusions, assessing other people’s opinions and judgments, and daily practice. The everyday worldview is formed continuously and is supplemented with information with its subsequent assessment every moment.
The scientific worldview presupposes the work of thinking, the connection of the analytical apparatus, and the formation of judgments based on proven information. Here we already have to face some problematic situations, contradictions and try to understand them.
The division of worldview into types with the indicated names is quite arbitrary, because, in principle, a person working in the field of science can operate to a greater extent with an ordinary worldview, that is, rely on practical arguments, without succumbing to the analysis of the events taking place in his life. At the same time, a person who has an applied nature of employment, for example, a sales consultant, a nanny or an artist, can think quite intensively, resorting to comparison, juxtaposition, study, analysis, criticism. As a rule, it is not easy to impose one’s opinion on such a person, to force her to think differently from what she would prefer at the moment.
In philosophy, there are also three types of worldviews that have been formed in the course of history:
- mythological;
- religious;
- philosophical.
The first of these types of thinking is based on myth as an attempt to explain surrounding phenomena. Mythology arose in primitive society, and people, through images of similar gods, animals and other characters, tried to explain what they drew from the surrounding reality. Why did they do this? The only thing that prompted them to do this was fear. Today, mythology is also part of culture, and therefore part of society. But why is it needed today?
People have always tended to “finish out” those situations and circumstances that raised doubts, to “find out” what is difficult to explain. The mythological episode form is a great way to do this by incorporating an element of fantasy or interweaving seemingly unrelated ideas. In general, a myth is a reflection of life cases with their embellishment and final meaningful design.
The religious worldview arose with the formation of class society, when the need arose to find a force that would promote the unity of society and the search for a compromise between elementary social groups. It is no coincidence that the verb religare (Latin) is translated as “to reunite.”
The religious worldview differed from the mythological one in that it was more progressive in nature due to the endowment of a person with a large amount of freedom, which seemed to be limited by divine forces. However, man was endowed with freedom of choice and will, which seriously allowed him to rise above external circumstances. We can say that human fear has taken on a slightly different form.
The religious worldview still influences the psychology of the individual today. Statistical forecasts indicate an increase in the number of believers, especially Muslims, who by 2050 will make up about 30% of the population (today only 23% of the world's population). Therefore, if you thought that religion in our time is fading into the background, do not rush to conclusions.
And the last type of worldview is philosophical. The most developed, progressive form of worldview, which assumes the ability to use one’s analytical potential, thinking, and formulate one’s point of view, regardless of the opinions of other people. The philosophical type of worldview does not necessarily involve the study of some philosophical materials or specialized literature. This is just an opportunity to treat any material in the described way.
Knowing the types of worldview, we can now trace how human consciousness has changed historically, and what remnants of the past can remain in our consciousness to this day. For example, fear of external circumstances, the creation of fictitious images that facilitate real patterns of behavior, reluctance to fight and look for a way out of the situation using real methods and opportunities are typical traits that we inherited from the mythological worldview.
Religion, you need to realize, was originally based on the reunification of people, their reconciliation and connection with the surrounding, sometimes cruel world through God as a supernatural force, and also served as a restrictive tool in regulating the behavior of people in society.
A philosophical worldview in its pure form presupposes getting rid of stereotypes imposed both by historical forms of worldview and by modern society. Therefore, the ability to analyze events around and rely on the arguments of reason are features of a philosophical worldview.
To make the process of forming a worldview easier and more interesting, we suggest you start by getting to know yourself. Our online Self-Discovery program in 4 weeks will help you find out what you really want in life, what your strengths and points for development are.
The modern world largely requires clarity and confidence from us, while not giving it in external circumstances. Let's look at why one should have a concrete understanding and perception of the world.
Types of worldview
In philosophical literature, two types are distinguished: ordinary and scientific. Today we are talking about the fact that the everyday worldview has a spontaneous character. This means that we do not make any conscious effort to form a worldview, that is, it is conditioned by the present moment, the momentary fluid given situation. He is characterized by methodological omnivorousness, that is, the absorption of different views, exposure to other people's opinions without much criticism. Thus, the everyday view of the world is purely subjective, based on judgments, which in turn tend to be replaced, sometimes even by the opposite.
The scientific type is characterized by the following features: logical consistency (the presence of a person’s system that allows him to explain, based on his system, all the events that happen to him, to build his life, to perform some actions), the systematic nature of consciousness, its structural nature , independence of thinking. It is difficult for such a person to impose someone else’s opinion.
Why is it important to have a clear worldview?
Is it really important to talk about worldview, to know and understand its structure, types, etc.? Certainly. Worldview is like the interface of a program through which you evaluate the elements of the environment, their functional connections, and try to take your place among these elements. The more colorful and pleasant the interface, the more you like the program.
Worldview forms a set of values, ideals, life principles of a person, and all this taken together sets the rules by which you play, influences the goals and guidelines that guide you in your daily practice. If you think that biology is boring, and music is fraught with many secrets and mysteries that you are interested in solving, then this will most likely determine your specialty, your circle of friends, to some extent your appearance, vocabulary, manner of communication and much more. That is, worldview directly affects our lives.
If you still have any questions, you can watch a short but informative video about what alignment is and what its role is:
Worldview in the 19th century
After the collapse of the USSR, many people experienced an ideological crisis, which arose due to the collapse of hopes and ideals inherent in communist society. Now everything is based on consumption, everyone deserves everything, the concepts of honor, respect, love have faded into the background. The era of consumers has established the idea in society: “Life is pleasure.” This is pure hedonism at its finest. On the other hand, it's not such a bad way to distract people from negative thoughts.
We hope that this article has illuminated the concept of worldview and its structure as clearly as possible, because simplicity of presentation is the key to understanding information.
Vision of the world in human life
A person can go through many different stages during his life. Personality formation will take place in constant doubts and searches. Throughout his life he will be in contradictions and try to find the truth. In order to reach the highest point of knowledge, he needs to develop his own specific personal life position, which will be based on his own worldview.
All this is possible only if a person is truly interested in his own development. The formation of your own views will occur through the integration of different points of view and ideas. It is their transformation that will allow an individual to become an individual and a personality.
