World view
A World View, also spelled as worldview is a term calqued from the German word Weltanschauung ("look onto the world"). The German word is also in wide use in English, as well as the "translated" form world outlook.
The term denotes a comprehensive set of opinions, seen as an organic unity, about the world as the medium and exercise of human existence: politics, economics, religion, culture, science, human values.
A world view describes a consistent (to a varying degree) and integral sense of existence and provides a framework for generating, sustaining and applying knowledge.
At all times, religious and political teachings were bases for forming worldviews; in fact, they were often worldviews themselves. For example, christianity, islam, socialism, marxism, scientology may be called worldviews; at least they generate clearly identifiable worldviews.
Historically, world views changed little and slowly, achieving wide (and often unquestioning) support. Postmodernism has encouraged a proliferation of ever-changing Weltanschauungen.
paradigm, social reality, perspective, point of view, belief and ideologyRelated notions