Naturalistic Worldview Considerations
"Understanding a Worldview" is a 12-slide presentation which aims to help you consider your worldview in new light.
With the Powerpoint file (PPT - 539 kB), it can be used for group presentations/discussions.
This diagram facilitates your considering the full expanse of your worldview. Also, you can ask yourself how strongly your own social setting is shaping your outlook. Be aware that your cultural milieu may restrict both how you interpret the world, and how you define yourself. Everyone’s perceptions are shaped by the prevailing majority. Even though you may be of a minority opinion on an issue, mainstream opinion carries weight.
A context that is robust in urging particular conceptions, such as deity-belief, can curtail your outlook considerably. It can also narrow your self-identity. Any activist need to know that a pinched self-identity can impede resourcefulness and undermine practicality. Although nonconforming minorities can't escape majority pressure, when engaging the broader community of citizens, they can be flexible and prevent it from diminishing their efficacy.
This“Cliff’s Notes Guide to Supers and Brights” illustrates that people may self-identify in varied (and multiple) ways. Observe that a distinction between religious and nonreligious is not congruent with the demarcation between supers and brights. A great many supers do not identify by religion. Most brights may be nonreligious, but some uphold a religious association for cultural reasons. Do most atheists have a naturalistic outlook? Yes, but there are also atheists who do not!
The diagram should be interpreted only in the generic sense. The labels (supers/brights) are best reserved for generic use and not applied to specific persons (unless, of course, those persons have adopted the characterization for themselves). Individuals generally choose labels that honestly suit them. One should beware of imposing labels upon others. No one really knows another’s worldview.
