Finding the Good Life
Through Philosophy

What is a worldview?  Is it a perception of reality, our experience, or beliefs?  Simply put, a worldview is "how I view the world."  There is a wonderful German word "weltanschauung?" that defines worldview very well.  It means a person's or a group's conception, philosophy or view of the world; a worldview.  This includes how I perceive things inside and outside of myself, how they affect me, and how that experience informs the way I choose to act or not act; including how I feel about things. Oftentimes we think about these things in terms of beliefs or our belief system.  And that can be the same as having a worldview.  But what is key to either one, is that what we believe, or profess, may not coincide with how we act or don't act.

Prominent 20th century Philosopher Bertrand Russell points this out when he said, "Since history began, our actions, in innumerable important respects, have depended upon our theories about the world and human life. To understand an age or a nation, we must understand its philosophy, and to understand its philosophy we must ourselves, to some degree, be philosophers." (Bertrand Russell, “History of Western Philosophy”)