The Western Worldview

The Dictionary Meanings of Western Worldview

Consulting a dictionary to examine the literal meaning of the

term "worldview" is in order.
The Oxford English dictionary defines worldview as "a
particular philosophy or view of life; a concept of the world held
by an individual or a group"

The Oxford English dictionary the 1989 edition defines

as "a contemplation of the world, a view of life"

The Oxford dictionary of philosophy perceives the

worldview as "a general worldview; and overreaching
philosophy"

A dictionary of philosophy defines worldview as "any

general view of the Universe and man's relationship to it"

David Naugle has summarized the definition stating: "an

intellectual perspective on the world or universe"

Hunter Mead defines as "an all-inclusive worldview or

outlook"

Singmund Freud describes as "an intellectual

constructions which solves all the problems of our existence
uniformly on the basis of one overriding hypothesis, which
accordingly, leaves no question unanswered and in which
everything that interests us finds its fixed place"

Sire defines as "a set of presuppositions …which we

hold….about the makeup of our world"
 Rickman HP argues, in The Encyclopedia of
Philosophy, worldview reflects some sort of a persistent
tendency to achieve a comprehensive interpretation, or
philosophy, in which a picture of reality is combined with a
sense of its meaning and value and with principals of action"

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English

Language mentions " worldview-noun: 1. the overall
perspective from which one sees and interprets the world. 2. a
collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an
individual or a group."

In many western significant sources, the concept of

worldview refers to issues: such as forms of thought,
comprehensive attitudes toward life, dimensions of past ideas
and of future aspirations.

The definition of western worldview according to

some western scholars

Paul Herbert defines "The assumptions the anthropologist uses

to explain a people's total response to their universe are
sometimes called 'worldview'."
The above definition emphasizes on the idea of considering
worldview as assumption.

Refutation of This Argument

There are worldviews that are not based on solely on assumption

but on facts and real truths. Islamic worldview does not consider
the serious issues of belief, ethics and human existence and
destiny as based on mere human assumption. Whereas, relies on
dealing with these issues on revealed facts and truths.
James Sire says "The concept of worldview involves
commitments, a fundamental orientation of the hurt that can be
expressed in a sat of presuppositions and assumptions which
may be true, which we hold about the basic constitution of
reality, and that provides the foundation on which we live and
move and have our being."

Edmund Husserl who says that, a worldview basically is an

individual oriented accomplishment; it is a sort of personal
religious belief.
According to him, worldview can not claim the absolute truth
and there is no worldview that is fit for every human being.

Refutation on his definition

Islam being a universal worldview as well as being able to

provide rational and scientific evidences for its claims denies the
above definition.

Martin Heidegger states "A self-realized, productive as well as

conscious way of apprehending and interpreting the universe of
beings."
According to him, a worldview is developed within a human
cultural context.

Ken Funk defines "A worldview is the set of beliefs about

fundamental aspects of reality that ground and influence all
one's perceiving, thinking, knowing and doing. One's worldview
is also referred to as one philosophy, philosophy of life,
mindset, outlook on life, and formula of life, ideology, faith, or
even religion."

Summary of above mentioned definitions

Having thus gathered few definitions lets sum up the main ideas
about the western definition of the term worldview: worldview
is conceived as a map or guideline that provides a model of
reality and proposes a way of functioning within it.
Furthermore, it is also conceived as an all encompassing way of
understanding the world surroundings and human relation to it.