Philosophy as Love of Wisdom

What is Worldview?

The first question we pose is, "What is a worldview?" The term "worldview" is composed of two words: "world" and "view." Is the sun the world? No, it is merely a part of it. In each instance, we encounter only fragments of the world: the Sun, the Moon, the Earth, the Milky Way.

In a philosophical sense, the world encompasses all of reality in its past, present, and future. While there are countless parts of the world, there exists but one world. It is an integral whole, embodying a certain degree of unity.

The world presents itself to us as an endless array of parts, yet it can never be reduced to their sum. This constitutes a new quality that transcends them.

Parts can exist only if they recreate the whole; otherwise, they could not be parts of any unity at all.

Indeed, the world is not merely a whole, but a dynamic whole, one that is perpetually in the process of becoming. Becoming is the transition from one state to another—a struggle between opposites.

The struggle of opposites is possible only because there exists a world that transcends this conflict, a world that is no longer a struggle but rather the peaceful state to which we refer.

When viewed through the lens of becoming, the world is a struggle; yet, fundamentally, it emerges as a unity of opposites. This is the most direct and straightforward conclusion drawn from the understanding that the universe is a cohesive whole. If we perceive struggle as a desire for annihilation, it ceases to be a true struggle, becoming mere death for any form of becoming.

Now let us turn our attention to that part of the world known as humanity.

Human beings and humanity are also parts, symbols of the world, and since the world represents an omnipotent affirmation, humanity carries a certain degree of universal power and self-affirmation.

This leads us to the practical aspect of worldview. Simply put, there is no distinct practical side to worldview, as it inherently represents a practical theory. If the human inclination is toward self-affirmation, it becomes difficult to discern where theory ends and practice begins. The desire to enhance life for oneself and for others is your true worldview.

Thus, a worldview describes and elucidates a model of the world, answering questions about our origins and destinations, guiding our actions and warning against pitfalls in pursuit of our goals, and ultimately addressing what constitutes truth.

A worldview is one of the socially constructed forms of reality reflected in human consciousness. Its uniqueness lies in the way reality is mirrored in its entirety through the prism of social relations and life interests.

Genetically, worldview is intertwined with the practical differentiation of humanity from nature. An animal is directly identical to its existence; it does not distinguish itself from its own life activities. It simply is that activity. In contrast, a human being makes their existence an object of their will and consciousness, rendering it conscious.

What does it mean to separate oneself from one’s own life activity, to make it an object of will and awareness? It means that, at every moment, we carry with us our past and our future—a projection of our being into the future.

The key categories here are "human" and "world" in relation to the human, with the individual determining themselves within the world.

Thus, the relationship between the human and the world constitutes the essence of any worldview, regardless of its historical form. From this perspective, worldview becomes a means of "mastering" the world. The specificity of worldview is expressed through its fundamental functions: — It serves as a form of social self-awareness for the individual. — It acts as a means of spiritual and practical engagement with the world.

In essence, a worldview is not merely a collection of social perspectives on the world; it is a form of self-awareness for the individual (or nation). On the basis of worldview, evaluative stances toward various events are formed, guiding the choice of specific goals and means of existence. It is a means of spiritual transformation of the world.