A worldview is defined as “the comprehensive framework of one’s basic beliefs about things.”

A worldview contains anything about which it is possible to have a belief. It is also a matter of one’s beliefs. It is important to note that worldviews have to do with basic beliefs about things. They have to do with the ultimate questions we are confronted with; they involve matters of general principle. For example: Can violence ever be right? Are there constant norms for human life? Is there a point to suffering? Do we survive death?

Finally, the basic beliefs one holds about things tend to form a framework or pattern; they hang together in a certain way. That is why humanists often speak of a system of values. We have to be consistent in our views if we want to be taken seriously.

What role does a worldview play in our lives? The answer to this is that our worldview functions as a guide to our life. A worldview orients us in the world at learge gives us a sense of what is up and what is down, what is right and what is wrong in the confusion of events and phenomena that confronts us. Our worldview shapes to a significant degree the way we assess the events, issues, and structures of our civilization.

By looking at one’s worldview, we are able to understand why we act the way we do. Example: When the going gets rough in a marriage, is divorce an option? When taxation is unjust, do you cheat on your tax forms? Should crime be punished? Will you fire an employee as soon as it is economically advantageous to do so? Will you get involved with politics? Will you discourage your son or daughter from becoming an artist? The decisions you make on these and many other issues are guided by your worldview. Disputes about them often involve a clash of basic life perspectives.