What Is a Worldview?

Key Elements of a
Worldview
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jan 11, 2023 • 4 min read

Every human being has their own worldview, whether they know it or not. It manifests
tangibly in their religious viewpoints, political allegiances, or moral practices. It also informs
how they see the world, their place in it, and the personal standards to which they hold
themselves. Learn more about what a worldview is and why having one is important no matter
who you are.

What Is a Worldview?
The term worldview refers to someone’s set of answers to all the big questions of life.
This might include assessing whether or not there is a God, what ethical duty human
beings have to each other, or how we can know certain things to be true. The concept
derives from the German word “Weltanschauung,” meaning “a particular philosophy of
life.”
Some people might feel the urge to construct their own worldview as an individual, while
others might choose to subscribe to a long-established one informed by one of the
world’s major religions.

4 Worldview Examples
Different worldviews prioritize different aspects of the human experience. Here are just
a few types of worldviews you might encounter:

1. A humanist worldview: A person’s worldview might be humanist if they prioritize

the importance of human beings solving the big questions of existence for
themselves. This stands in contrast to more religious viewpoints, in which people
hew close to what they consider to be divine or enlightened answers to these
questions from deities or inspired teachers.
2.  A naturalistic worldview: Some people believe the world is
totally explainable through purely natural means. Naturalists also
often take a stance of agnosticism or outright skepticism when it
comes to any claims of the supernatural or divine.
3. A postmodern worldview: When someone holds to a postmodern
viewpoint, they likely consider the concept of worldviews to be
totally subjective. In other words, it’s difficult to ground your point
of view in anything beyond personal preference. This renders all
beliefs and precepts equally valid.
 4.  A religious worldview: People of faith base their worldviews
around the values and dogmas espoused in their sacred texts.
For instance, if you chose to espouse a Christian worldview, you
would base your philosophical assessments of reality and ethical
beliefs on the teachings and ministry of Jesus Christ. People of
faith often turn to apologetics (or arguments in favor of their
beliefs) to make a case for their worldviews.
Elements of a Worldview
Plenty of philosophical concepts go into building a worldview. These are some of the key
elements you might seek to define in your own search for meaning:

 Anthropology: While this term means the study of humanity in a pragmatic sense, it can also
mean assessing what the purpose of human life is in a philosophical way. By defining other
aspects of your worldview, your understanding of humankind’s role in the universe might also
come into view.
 Cosmology: Your view of the world is part of your wider view of the universe as a whole. To
better define your personal cosmology, ask yourself why there is something instead of nothing.
 Epistemology: No definition of worldview would be complete without a definition of
epistemology as well. Epistemology is an attempt to answer how we know the things we know.
Think about how you know something to be true and then dig deeper into why that is.
 Ethics: Matters of morality and ethics are where philosophical worldviews enter the realm of
pragmatic reality. Define what you think you can do to help solve humanity’s problems. Ask
what people owe to one another in terms of ethical conduct. Consider what makes something
right or wrong.
 Metaphysics: This branch of philosophy refers to your basic beliefs about the nature of ultimate
reality. Perhaps human beings have souls or perhaps they’re merely made of matter. Maybe the
world truly exists, or maybe everyone is in a simulation. Everyone gets to decide where they fall
on metaphysical quandaries like these as they define their own worldviews.
 Theology: Religious people consider the issue of God’s existence to be the most important of all.
All other presuppositions extend out from their belief in this central precept. By contrast, those
who hold to an atheist worldview believe there is no God and it’s possible to find meaning and be
ethical without any divine reference point.
 Teleology: This concept refers to a set of presuppositions about what your innate purpose is. In
other words, this is the element of your worldview in which you get to define what you believe
the meaning of life to be.

The Influence of Your Worldview: Why Does It Matter?

A person’s worldview influences every aspect of their lives. How you answer the
important questions of existence will inform how you behave in your day-to-day existence.
Additionally, defining your personal worldview will also give you a far deeper source of
meaning and understanding than you would be able to attain if you never attempted to answer
these existential questions.
 Still, always remember the importance of respecting how other people might come to
drastically different conclusions about these age-old queries than you have. Friendly persuasion
and the free exchange of ideas leaves everyone better off, but belligerent disregard for others’
beliefs will almost certainly never win anyone over to your side.