Worldview Definitions Flashcards
Define Nihilism
A hopeless fatalism that sees life as meaningless and which rejects all moral and religious principles.
Define Objective Truth
Truth is independent of the individual
Define Ontology
The study of being
Define Pantheism
Belief that everything is god
Define Panentheism
Belief that all is IN God; God is to the world as soul is to a body
Define Polytheism
Belief in many gods
Define Presupposition
A thing tacitly assumed beforehand at the beginning of a line of argument or course of action. The assumption that an idea, statement, or claim is true (often without evidence)
Define Rationalism
An epistemological theory which absolutizes human reason as the solution to all issues
Define Reference Point
A basis or standard for evaluation, assessment, or comparison; a criterion
Define Relativism
The belief that there is no absolute truth; truth is either subject to the individual and/or to one’s culture
Define Secular Humanism
The belief that humanity is the highest value in the universe and that there is no supernatural realm
Define socialism
a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. (in Marxist theory) a transitional social state between the overthrow of capitalism and the realization of communism.
Define Subjective Truth
Truth is subject to the individual’s interpretations, feelings, or whims. Related to relativism but often not as strong as relativism
Define Syncretism
The reconciliation or union of conflicting beliefs - The mixing together of ideas or beliefs that are incompatible
Define Teleology
The study of ends or ultimate purposes. Deals with questions as: why are we here? Where is everything going? What is the purpose of life?
Define Theism
Belief in God. Sometimes used generically to mean belief in the existence of a god of any sort. Other times referred specifically to the Judeo-Christian concept of God
Define Trinitarianism
Belief that there is One infinite God in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Define ‘Worldview’
Worldview - “A worldview is a commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart, that can be expressed as a story or in a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true, or entirely false) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic constitution of reality, and that provides the foundation on which we live and move and have our being.”
- James Sire
