According to the Belgian philosopher Leo Apostel, a "worldview" comprises seven elements:
1. An ontology, or a descriptive model of the world.
2. An explanation of the world.
3. A futurology, answering the question, "Where are we heading?"
4. Values, or answers to ethical questions: "What should we do?"
5. A praxeology, methodology, or theory of action: "How should we attain our goals?"
6. An epistemology, or theory of knowledge.
7. An etiology, or an account of its own origins and construction.
Apostel's definition isn't broad enough. Here are a couple additions:
8. A subjectivity, or a sense of self. Includes things like identity descriptors (e.g., extroverted, Indonesian, Christian) and personal preferences (e.g. favorite food, cutest animal).
9. A taxonomy, or classification system, for the social and natural world. Is this the same as #2?
Emotions and memories should also be included somewhere, but I can't decide whether to put them in their own category or include them in #8.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
9. Taxonomy, or classification system. Is this the same as #2?
After reading this I sat and thought about it for a long time. Perhaps too long. But here is what I´ve come up with.
Taxonomy can definitely be #2, but I don´t think #2 is limited to taxonomy/classification as the only means to give an explanation of the world. Some might say that art is an explanation of the world (and not just descriptive). Certainly art can classify, but it also can simply reflect or enhance what IS, both from the self and for the viewer (which will likely differ). This kind of explanation would not require taxonomy. Right?
Now I´m confusing myself again. But I still think this is very interesting. I´ll keep working on it and get back with you as I sort.
Post a Comment