Lesson video

Hello there.

My name is Mr. Robertson.

Thank you so much for joining me in this lesson today.

In this unit of work, we're going to be looking at this big question, worldviews, how do I see the world?

And does everyone see the same way?

And in this lesson called Personal Worldviews and Organized Worldviews, we're gonna be thinking about this idea of a worldview, whether it's religious or not, and about how we see the world and whether others perceive it the same way as we do.

Come on, let's join in.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain the difference between personal and organized worldviews, and reflect on your own world view.

We have five key words today.

We have the word attitude, which is a learned tendency based on beliefs to think, feel, and act in ways reflecting a worldview.

We have the word behavior, which is how someone acts, the things they do, influenced by their beliefs and attitudes.

We have the word belief, which is an acceptance that something is true without necessarily having to have proof.

We have the word influence, which is a factor that has the ability to shape or change someone's thoughts, beliefs or actions.

Finally, we have the word worldview, which is a person's way of understanding, experiencing, and responding to the world.

So in this lesson, we're going to be looking at two different things.

We're gonna start by defining world views.

I wonder whether you or your friends always agree on things like the music you listen to, politics or what matters in life.

I wonder why people react differently to the same issues, like thinking about whether social media is a good or damaging thing, or about whether climate change is important and what we might do about it.

When people disagree, is someone automatically right or are they seeing the world through different assumptions?

You might want to think about some of these questions yourselves and discuss it.

We know that people have very different views from everything, from music to social media.

Do we automatically think people are right or wrong?

Why do they think the things that they do and what shapes the way that you see things?

A worldview is a person's way of understanding, experiencing and responding to the world.

Sometimes we might use the idea of a lens through which we see life.

Like glasses, which help us see clearly, a worldview helps us interpret the world.

But unlike ordinary glasses like these, we can't take them off.

It's the lens which we view life through, and that can be shaped by many different factors.

A worldview isn't just about ideas.

It's about how you live and how you think.

One person thinks technology improves life.

Another person thinks it's ruining real human relationships.

One person thinks that marriage should always be for life.

Another thinks divorce is sometimes the best option.

One person thinks you should always stand up for yourself.

Another thinks avoiding conflict is better.

So a worldview isn't just about the ideas you have, it's about how you live in life and the way in which these things play out as well.

Let's just check our understanding so far.

Why is a worldview often described as a lens?

A, it influences the way people interpret and prioritize experiences.

B, it determines the actions people take in every situation.

C, it's a tool used to observe the physical world objectively.

D, it automatically guides people to the correct understanding of events.

Which of these makes most sense?

Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent, it's about a world view influences the way people interpret and prioritize experiences.

Now, worldviews can be personal and organized.

By personal, we mean shaped by individual experiences and choices.

And organized worldview is shared by groups, traditions or institutions.

They encompass attitudes and behavior.

Beliefs are things that someone accepts as true.

They influence attitudes.

Attitudes are the learned tendencies to think, feel and act in ways reflecting a worldview, and they influence behavior, which is how someone acts.

So someone's worldview and the way they see the world makes a difference in the attitudes they have and then in the behavior, the way that they will actually act in the world.

Let's think about some examples of this.

Sofia is expressing a personal worldview.

She says, "I believe animals can feel pain and feel strongly that factory farming is wrong.

That's why I choose to buy free range eggs instead of ones from factory farms.

" Sofia is showing some her worldview that animals can feel pain.

She's describing her values, because of that, she feels that factory farming is wrong.

And then her behavior is that she chooses to buy free range eggs instead of ones from factory farms.

So you can see her values, attitudes, and behaviors in her worldview.

Personal worldviews are influenced by individual experiences, and these might develop from your upbringing and family, the traditions, culture and home environment that you've grown up in.

They also might be influenced by your friends and social circle.

The people we spend time with, our friends, the things that we listen to influence our thinking.

And also your life experiences, the things that happen in your life.

Events, challenges and achievements change how we see the world and all of these different things can influence a world worldview.

Brandon is expressing an organized worldview.

He says, "As a humanist, I believe everyone has value simply because they're human.

That's why fairness and equal rights matter to me.

And why I support Amnesty International, which works to protect human rights and help create a fairer society for everyone.

" We could see the values that Brandon has as a humanist, that he believes everyone has value because they're human.

We can see his attitudes are important.

He believes in fairness and equal rights, and we can see his behavior in his supporting Amnesty International.

So his worldview creates values, attitudes and behavior.

Organized worldviews are influenced by structured systems and beliefs, they develop from core teachings and principles, which are rules or frameworks that guide the understanding of life and morality.

They develop from community and mentors, leaders and groups reinforce how beliefs are interpreted and applied.

For example, within the Anglican church, there is the general synod and the bishops and important clergy who make decisions about policy and attitudes there.

And of course, they're influenced by culture and social norms, and that might influence behavior as well and either put pressure on that institution or the institution may develop its worldview in response to changing cultural norms.

I've got a test of whether we've understood everything we've heard so far.

What are the missing words here?

Beliefs, influence, which then influence.

Can you think of the missing words?

Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent, beliefs influence attitudes, which then influence behavior.

Well done if you got that right.

So let's think about defining worldviews.

I've got some questions for you here which will help you to define your personal worldview, and we're gonna use these for our task.

One, are people mainly selfish or mainly cooperative?

Two, is morality universal or culture-based?

Three, should humans protect nature or use it for progress?

Does life have a set purpose or do we make our own?

Should freedom or security come first in society?

So we've got these big questions as a way of beginning to make you think through your own personal worldview.

For each of these questions, we're gonna carry out a silent debate.

We're going to have these questions written down, the statement written down, and you are going to think a little bit about does that statement mean much to you and what's your point of view?

And then as these are passed round, I want you to read what someone else has written and respond to them as well.

It's important when we do that that we are really clear about our language, being careful and polite and respectful about other people's views.

When you've done that, I'd like you to read the thoughts on the question sheets and think which answers were similar to yours and which answers were very different.

And I wonder what this shows us about people's world views.

Really look forward to seeing what you come up with.

So let's think about an example about how you might have responded to question two.

Question two asked, is morality universal or culture-based?

You may have said your point of view, I think morality is culture based.

Different societies have different rules and what's seen as right in one place could be seen as wrong in another.

You may have seen a view like that.

That might be a view you hold yourself.

You might have gone on to say what answers were similar to yours.

Several people also said morality as culture-based, pointing out that different societies have different traditions and laws.

You might have said one person argued morality is universal, saying some things like murder are always wrong, no matter the culture.

And reflecting on other people's worldviews, you might have said, it shows that people approach morality from different angles.

Some see it as fixed and absolute, while others see it as flexible and shaped by culture.

And this highlights how worldviews can vary even in the same classroom.

I wonder if you find out that in your silent debate, were your answers very similar or were they different?

What might that say about the worldviews in your classroom?

For the next part of the lesson, we're going to be thinking about analyzing worldviews.

Now, lots of people have done thinking about worldviews.

Ann Taves is a professor of religious studies and she's developed a series of questions based around features that worldviews have in common, whether personal or organized, religious or non religious.

Ann Taves has questions based around six key areas.

We have created some images for these six key areas.

We have reality, which asks questions like what exists, origins, which ask questions like, where do we come from?

Knowledge, which asks a question like, how do we know these things?

A situation, in other words, what is the situation in which we find ourselves?

Goal, which looks at what is the good or goal for which we should strive in our lives?

And path, what actions should we take?

So what Ann Taves has done is looked at different religions and worldviews and tried to think of six areas where there are commonalities, questions that different religions and non-religious traditions ask, which might allow us to understand things are really important and central.

Let's just check our understanding, Ann Taves created to help people explore their own or others' world views.

What's the missing word here?

Excellent, it's sets of questions to help people explore their own or others' worldviews.

Excellent if you've got that right.

So how can we use Ann Taves's big questions to help understand other people's worldviews?

Well, we're going to see an example here.

Sofia is planning to interview Brandon using Ann Taves's big questions.

She's going to focus on a particular questions.

She's gonna focus on origins and goal.

Remember, origins asks the question, where do we come from?

And goal asks the question, what is the good or goal for which we should strive?

So Brandon is going to answer Sofia's question about origins.

Sofia says, "Where do we come from?

" And Brandon says, "We come from a long process of evolution.

Humans like all life on Earth, developed over millions of years through natural processes such as genetic variation, natural selection and adaptation.

Our origins are part of the natural world and understanding them helps us make sense of who we are and how we relate to the planet and each other.

" So we can see in Brandon's answer, his humanist world view coming through, the idea of a natural origin to humanity, the use of science to understand how that's happened.

Sofia is interpreting Brandon's answer.

She says, "This tells me that Brandon trusts science and believes humans are part of the natural world.

He might make decisions like protecting the environment and supporting conservation because he understands the impact that humans have, in everyday life, he might learn about evolution and biology, observe nature, and explain to others why humans should respect and care for the planet.

" Brandon now goes on to answer Sofia's question about goals.

Sofia asks, "What is the good or goal for which we should strive?

" I wonder what you think Brandon's answer might be.

Brandon says, "I think the good is living a meaningful and fulfilling life for myself and others, finding happiness and satisfaction in what I do and making the most of the time I have, whilst also helping others to live well.

" I wonder what we might glean from Brandon's worldview in terms of how he answers that question about goals.

Sofia interprets his answer.

She says, "This tells me that Brandon might try to live a meaningful life by setting personal goals, pursuing hobbies or work that makes him happy and learning new skills.

He might also help others by supporting friends and family, volunteering, teaching or sharing knowledge and doing things that make other people's lives better.

" Which of the following worldview questions is related to the dimension of origins?

A, where do we come from, B, what exists?

C, what do you think is real?

D, what actions should we take?

Excellent, it's A, where do we come from?

Brilliant if you got that right.

So let's see if we can apply Ann Taves's questions about worldviews to our own personal worldview.

We've got a questionnaire based on her questions here.

A, what do you believe is ultimately real?

B, where do you think life or the universe came from and where is it going?

C, how do you decide what is true or real?

D, what kind of beings are humans, and what is our place in the world?

E, what is the most important goal or value in life?

And F, what should we do to live a good life or achieve that goal?

So I would like you to answer all of these questions.

I'd like you then to highlight one or two key words in each of your answers.

I'd like you then to use these highlighted words to summarize your own worldview.

So think through the answers to the questions, highlight some important ideas, and then can you bring those together to summarize what your worldview would be based on Ann Taves's questions.

You might want to write these answers down.

You might want to represent them graphically or draw in a way that brings these together, it's totally up to you.

Good luck and I really look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Excellent work everybody.

So you may have said things like this.

I believe the physical world we can see and touch the ideas, emotions and relationships we experience are real.

Physical matter exists independently, but our thoughts, feelings, and moral values are also real 'cause they shape the way and interact with each other.

For question three, you might have said, I believe the physical world and our feelings, ideas and relationships are real.

Life in the universe began long ago, and humans create meaning through their choices.

I judge truth through experience, observation and learning from others.

I try to live well by being responsible, helping others, and making good choices.

You may have answered these questions in different ways, but I hope that you've managed to draw together using Ann Taves's questions to summarize your own worldview.

I wonder how helpful you thought that was.

Do you think those questions help you think about what your worldview might be?

And does it allow you to see and analyze it?

I wonder how your worldview looked similar or different to others around you.

Let's summarize what we've learned today.

We've learned that a worldview is the lens through which people understand, experience, and respond to life.

We've learned that beliefs influence attitudes, which then guide behavior.

We've learned that personal worldviews are formed through upbringing, family friends, and life experiences.

We've learned that organized worldviews are shaped by shared teaching, communities and cultural traditions.

We've learned that worldviews can be analyzing used in Ann Taves' six areas, reality, origins, knowledge, situation, goal, and path.

And we've learned that worldviews are not just ideas, but they influence how people live and think.

Hope you've enjoyed that lesson today.

I hope that's made you think a little bit about your own worldview, and I look forward to seeing you in another lesson soon, thank you.