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SergioOlmosZaragoza
WaysofKnowing
WorldviewEssay
WorldviewEssay
Worldviewhasmanydifferentdefinitionsthatallmeanprettymuchthesamething.
Somethinkofitasasetofbeliefsthatdriveouractionsandsomethinkofitashowweviewthe
world,butdoesnotdriveouractions.Aworldviewencompassestheideasofepistemology,
metaphysics,cosmology,teleology,theology,anthropology,andaxiology.Manypeopledont
believeinworldviews,buttheyaredoingisforcingupontheirworldviewonpeopleandnot
givingthemawaytothink.Likemanyhavesaidaworldviewislikeajigsawpuzzle.Ibelieve
thatmyownjigsawpuzzlesismissingpiecesandhaspiecesofotherjigsawpuzzles.Ihavea
twistedwayoflookingattheworldthatmyworldviewsometimesisntconsistentwithallofmy
ideas,butItrytokeeptheminorderandbeingopenmindedabouttheworld.
EpistemologyisdefinedbyKenFunkaswhatyoubelieveaboutknowledgeand
knowing:theirnature,basis,andvalidation(Funk,2001).Itholdswhatpeoplebelievehow
knowledgecametobeandhowitisgained.Somebelievethatknowledgewashandedtohumans
byadivineentity.Othersbelievethatitisabyproductofneuronsfiringinourbrainmaking
connections.Whatpeoplechoosetobelieveaffectthewaypeoplerespondtocertainsituations
andhowtheyfeelaboutit.Somepeopledecidethatknowledgeshouldbebasedonbeliefsthey
havelikereligionandothersbelievethatknowledgeshouldbebasedonevidencethatcanbe
measuredandseenbythehumaneye.
Ibelievethatbeliefsshouldbejustifiedandthatasubstantialamountofproofshouldbe
broughttosaythatonethingisrealandnotjustanideathatpeoplebelievein.Ofcourse,certain
thingsinsciencearejustatheory,buttheyareconstantlytryingtogetenoughevidencethattheir

ideacanbecomemorethanjustanidea.Scienceistheonlywayvalidmethodofacquiringthe
truthoftheuniverse.Sincescienceistheory,butthosetheoriesworkalmostallthetime,
uncertaintyexists.Ibelievethatweshouldlivewithuncertainty,butstrivetodebunkthose
uncertainties.Wemayneverlivealifewithcompletecertaintyregardingthetruthabout
knowledgeandhowweknow.Nevertheless,Ibelievethatlifeshouldbelivedwithuncertainties,
becausetheuniverseissovastthatitwouldtakecountlessgenerationsforhumanstoevenreach
thetruthofitall.
Metaphysicsarethebeliefsyouholdabouttheultimatenatureoftheuniverse(Funk,
2001).Itisthewaywebelievetheuniverseisandhowitworks.Somebelievethattheuniverse
wascreatedbyGod,gods,orsomethingofthatnature.Othersbelievethattheuniverseoccurred
bypurechanceandthatthereisnoGodandgods.Somealsobelievethattheuniverseisofthe
mind.Thatwhatwethinkiswhattheuniverseandwillnotchangeasitisfromourownminds.
Whatpeopledecidetobelieveiswhattheybelieveisthetruthofreality.Somebelievethatthe
truthiswhatcanmeasureandseen,othersbelievethatthetruthiswrittendownasinthebible,
andthereisthosewhobelievethatthetruthcanonlycomefromwithinandonlyfromwithin.
Thattruthiswhatweseetruthtobeandthatotherpeoplehavetheirowntruthsandonetruth
isntbetterthananother.
Metaphysicstomeiswhatwecantouch,see,andmeasure.However,Iaminconsistent
ontheideaofaGod.Ihaveseenthingsinlifethatwouldpointtothenonexistenceofsucha
being,butIsometimesIfeelthatheorsheexists.Iknowthatitisatwistedwaytothinkaboutit
andsometimesIcometoconflictwiththisidea.Iwanttobelievethatagodexists,butIhave
seentoomuchharmandpainthatIthinkwhywouldagodallowthistohappentopeople.What

kindofcreatorwouldallowustofeeldespair,pain,andotherfeelingsandmakeitsothatifwe
confesswegettogotoaplacethatisunimaginable.Thatsomeonewhokillspeopleandonly
wantsallthepeoplearoundthemtofeelpaincangotoheavenjustbysayingthattheyaresorry
forwhattheydidandaskforforgiveness.Theideaofsomeonelikethatgoingtothesameplace
assomeonewhohelpedallthepeoplearoundthemandmadetheworldabetterplaceisjust
somethingIcantcomprehend.
Cosmologyconsistsyourbeliefsabouttheoriginoftheuniverse,oflife,and
particularly,ofman(Funk,2001).Therearethosethatbelievethattheuniversewascreatedjust
bychance,thatitwaspureluckthatcreatedtheentireuniverse.Thentherearethosewhobelieve
thatthereisabeingthatcreatedtheuniversebydesignandthatithasaplanforeverythingthat
hasexisted.Also,theonesthatbelievethattheuniversewascreatedbyadesigneralsobelieve
thatmanwascreatedbythedesignerandthattheyhaveaplanformanandthatmanisfollowing
it.Ontheoppositesidearethepeoplethatbelievemanwascreatedthroughnaturalselectionand
thatwearenothingbutaproductofthousandsofyearsofevolution.
Again,Ihaveainconsistentideaofcosmology.Ibelieveinevolutionandnatural
selection.However,Istillwantthepossibilityofahigherbeing.IwanttobelieveinGod,butI
believeinscienceandthatweashumanswerecreatedbymerechance.Ifightmyselfonthis
topicmanytimesandcanneversettleononeidea.Asfarasmanknowsthereisonlyone
universeandIbelievethatthereisonlyoneuniverse.Withincosmologyistheideathatthe
futurecanexistatthesametimeasthepresentandsciencehassomemodelsthatagreewiththat
idea,butIdonotbelieveinitatthemoment.Iftherewasmoreevidencetosuggestthatthe

futureexistsatthesametimeasthepresentitwouldopenthepossibilityoftimetravelandI
wouldtrytobelieveinit.
Teleologyisthebeliefsofpurposethathumanshave.Thereistwoideasto
teleology,theuniverseeitherhasapurposesuchasGodsplanandthereistheideathatthe
universehasnoplanandthatpeopledowhatevertheychoosetodowiththeirliveswithout
worryingaboutpunishmentfromGodorgods.Someequatepurposewithfreewillandsome
peoplebelievethattheyhavefreewillbecausethereisnopurposetolife.Therearesomethat
believethatGodhasaplanforthemandthateverythinghasitspurposeandtheyfollowthewill
ofgod,forgettingtheideaoffreewill.
Ibelievethatmanhasfreewillandthatmanisfreetodowhattheywishtodowithout
thefearofconsequences.TheideathatGodhaseverythingplannedoutformanistoodifficult
formetograspandIwanttohavefreewilltodowhatIseefittodowithmylife.However,my
ideaoffreewillandnopurposetotheuniverseclasheswithmewantingtobelieveinagodand
thepowerofahigherbeing.IhonestlywonderwhatItrulybelievein.DoIbelieveinagodor
amIafraidtoletgooftheideaofahigherpowerandnotsticktowhatIcanseewithmyown
eyes.IguessIamtooscaredtoletgo.Iwanttheretobesomethingaftermydeathandtheidea
ofnothingafterclosingmyeyesforthelasttimeterrifiesmetothepointofgivingmeanxiety.
ThisalsogoesintotheologywhichismansbeliefsaboutGod.Iwantfortheretobea
god,butthereisnoevidencetogiveproofofhisexistences.Somesaythathisexistencesis
proveneverydaythroughmiracles.Idonotbelievethatwhatpeopleseeasmiraclesare
miracles,butmoreoftheadvancementofmanandmanspowertohealpeoplethrough
medicine.Peoplebelievethatgodcontrolseverythingaroundmanandwilluntilhecomeforhis

followers.However,therearethosewhobelievethatGodcreatedtheuniverseandforgotabout
usandleftustoourowndevices.IbelievethatIamagnosist,thatwecantknowwhatGodis
andthatIdontdeclareafaithordeclareadisbeliefofGod.
Theideaoffreewillalsocomesintoplaywithanthropology.Anthropologyintermsof
worldviewisaboutthebeliefsaboutman.ThatmanwaseithercreatedbyGodorgodsorthat
manwasjustastepinevolutionthatresultedinman.Ibelievethatmanisjustastepinevolution
andthatwewerejustcreatedbymerechance.TheideathatGodorgodscreatedmanhasno
proofandIseeitassuch.Again,Ibelievethatmanhasfreewillandthatagoddoesnotcontrol
manwithhiswill.Ibelievethateveryactionwetakeisaproductofourownwilland
judgement.
Axiologyintermsofworldviewisyourbeliefsaboutthenatureofvalueandwhatis
valuable(Funk,2001).Theideathatthereisgoodandbadorrightandwrongintheworld.The
ideaofmoralseitherthatwecreateorhandedtousbyGod.Ibelievethatthereisnorightor
wrongintheworld.Thatmandoeswhathepleasesanditmightbeviewedasrightoritmightbe
viewaswrongdependingonthevaluesofothers.WiththisIbelievethatmancreateshisown
moralsandthatmoralsarenotgiventousbyGod.AlsowithmancreatinghisownmoralsI
believethatallmoralsareselfishattheircore.Thatmanonlydoeswhatmakesthemhappyand
theyequatehappinesswithgooddoing.Soallmoralsthatwemakearejusttomakeourselves
happywithourselves.
Afterthinkingaboutallthismyworldviewistwistedwithmyownfearaboutthetrue
natureoftheworldandthepowerofahigherbeing.Ileantowardsmoreofbelievinginwhatwe
canseeandfeelintheworld.However,thefearthatIfeelwantsmetobelieveinahigherbeing.

Myjigsawpuzzleisalmostcomplete,butsomepiecesareforcedintoplaceandsometimesthey
bouncebackandfalloff.Themainsourceofmybeliefsarebasedonscienceandfamilyculture.
Theysometimesclashandsometimestheyworktogether.Worldviewsarehowmaninterprets
andactsintheworldandtheyarepartofeveryone.

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