The concept worldview usually refers to an interpretation of reality that provides an overarching framework for the constitution of the world or the cosmos. Various belief systems, religions, ideologies, and science itself are examples of worldviews that contain differing pictures of the world. A worldview is furthermore connected with a particular moment in history.
The concept of worldview is used in two fundamentally different ways. On the one hand, the word can refer to a scientific worldview in which perceptions of the universeare derived from scientific theories in such fields as astronomy, physics, and biology. On the other hand, the concept of worldview can be broader and encompass perceptions that override scientific knowledge – including values, perceptions of the human being, life, and the world – that are not possible to test scientifically. This latter, broader use of the concept incorporates attempts to answer or to formulate an attitude toward existential questions and...
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Westerlund, K. (2013). Worldview. In: Runehov, A.L.C., Oviedo, L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8265-8_1170
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