What is a Worldview?
A Simple Definition
In short, a worldview is a person's most fundamental beliefs about reality, knowledge, and ethics. Survey the current cultural landscape, and you will find people on all sides of abortion, COVID restrictions, IVF, or a myriad of other topics. People on all sides are convinced of their position, and their confidence is primarily due to their worldview. Writing for Ligonier Ministries, James Andersson explains that "these worldviews [have] profound implications for how people think about themselves, what behaviors they consider right or wrong, and how they orient their lives."
In his book, The Ultimate Proof of Creation, Dr. Jason Lisle observes that many "people today have not given much thought to their own worldview." Most people assume humanity acquires knowledge by objective (or "unbiased") observation of the evidence. This is called empiricism and is itself a worldview. Thus, Lisle concludes, a worldview is inevitable, but a rational worldview is not. So, when we evaluate worldviews, we must ask the question, "which worldview makes human experience (anything) intelligible (meaningful)?"
Anderson further observes how these non-Christian worldviews can change how people think about themselves, what behaviors they consider right or wrong, and how they orient their lives:
Naturalism: there is no God; humans are highly evolved animals; the universe is a closed physical system.
Postmodernism: there are no objective truths and moral standards; "reality" is ultimately a human social construction.
Pantheism: God is the totality of reality; thus, we are all divine by nature.
Pluralism: the different world religions represent equally valid perspectives on the ultimate reality; there are many valid paths to salvation.
Islam: there is only one God, and He has no son; God has revealed His will for all people through His final prophet, Muhammad, and His eternal word, the Qur'an.
Moralistic therapeutic deism: God wants us to be happy and nice to other people; He intervenes in our affairs only when we call on Him to help us out.
It is easy to see how each worldview functions much like a set of glasses. It affects how one interprets the human experience and how he or she "sees" life.
Old Habits Die Hard
All humans have access to the same evidence, but their respective worldviews will determine how to interpret this evidence and the conclusion they will draw. This is why an evolutionist will look at the DNA and come to different conclusions than a creationist.
Take a look at these quotes by notable atheists:
David Hume: "Nothing can be more unphilosophical than to be positive or dogmatical on any subject."
Bertrand Russell: "In all affairs, it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted."
Richard Dawkins: "All appearances to the contrary, the only watchmaker in nature is the blind forces of physics, albeit deployed in a very special way."
Such positions are prevalent today. According to evolutionary theory, humans are nothing more than ex-apes, which is accepted (taken for granted!) as fact in all realms of modern thought and experience. Evolution impacts not just biological and earth sciences but also psychology, anthropology, sociology, politics, economics, media, the arts, and many other academic subjects. (Bahnsen, Basic Training for Defending the Faith; American Vision)
No matter the claim to neutrality, the commitment to a presupposition cannot be escaped. The speed of light, the laws of physics, or mathematics, for example, don't change based on who is using or observing them. Instead, they must be studied to be understood. Similarly, both a theist and an atheist know that 2 +2 = 4. Both know of and "believe" in gravity, but one might claim that gravity points to a benevolent creator, while the other sees no such connection. In this lecture, Dr. K. Scott Oliphint explains how a worldview is the necessary convergence of a person's or group's "heart response to living within the structures and strictures of the cosmos. In other words, a worldview is unavoidable and inevitable—each person has one." So, how one perceives the world determines whether gravity is a creator's work or chance acting on matter.
Neutrality is a Myth
Unfortunately, many will not accept that they, in fact, all people, interpret evidence in light of prior beliefs — a faith commitment of some kind. They will claim that evidence should be treated impartially, diagnosed with neutrality, yet this is impossible because it is in itself a biased view about how evidence should be interpreted. For a short explanation of why Christians should avoid this approach, see our Myth Of Neutrality post. We all come to the evidence provided to us with presuppositions, which will guide our interpretation
"A 'presupposition' is an elementary assumption in one's reasoning or in the process by which opinions are formed. It is not simply an assumption in an argument but a personal commitment that is held at the most basic level of one's worldview. Presuppositions form a wide-ranging, foundational perspective (or starting point) in terms of which everything else is interpreted and evaluated. As such, presuppositions have the greatest authority in one's thinking, being treated as one's least negotiable beliefs and being granted the highest immunity to revision. (Bahnsen, 1998, Van Til's Apologetic, 2 n.4). At the end of the day, a presupposition pertains not to whether something is true or not but rather to what is presupposed by a person when a claim about the evidence is made. So, ask yourself this: which worldview makes human experience (i.e., anything from paying taxes to having a debate about God's existence) intelligible (i.e., meaningful)?
Take this example, again from Lisle's book: For example, suppose that your neighbor tells you that she saw a UFO last night. Your worldview will immediately kick in and help you process and interpret this evidence. As your neighbor provides additional details, you will begin forming hypotheses based on your worldview. "[And] herein lies the problem … [No one can] claim ... neutrality because everyone has a set of presuppositions that guide their moral and ethical analyses. Contending for any position depends upon this framework in that it is through one's presuppositions that facts are interpreted and related. No one lives or operates in a vacuum where the mind is a "blank slate" and [uninterpreted facts]. Were that the case, "brute facts" would exist independently of God and have no logical relation to one another. Accordingly, man could not know them." (Bahnsen, Van Til's Apologetic, 38)
So What?
The conclusions you draw are influenced not only by evidence but by your general understanding of the universe. Lisle explains, maybe she spotted a spaceship from another planet or a government test plane. Perhaps she mistook Venus for what she believed was an extraterrestrial ship. The same goes for your neighbor. She is convinced she saw one because of her worldview.
Your interpretation of the evidence is constrained and guided by your worldview. If you are convinced that UFO sightings do not prove the existence of extraterrestrials, then you will not believe that your neighbor saw an alien spacecraft. This holds true in all aspects of life. It is vital that you realize that since Christianity is a worldview, the implications go beyond any narrow range of human experience, i.e., how you do being nice to your neighbors or participating in Sunday worship services. Biblical Christianity should inform how we view all of human experience.