Summary of Chapter One of "The Universe Next Door"
Summary of Chapter One of "The Universe Next Door"
In chapter one the author, James W. Sire, describes his purpose for writing the book and makes it clear that many people hold many different worldviews whether they know it or not. He says the struggle to discover our own worldview is one of the greatest tasks we could ever face. Many people have faith but some lose it and it is just a matter of finding it again. Sire hopes this book will help. The four major reasons he wrote this book are 1) to outline the basic worldviews, 2) to trace historically how these views have developed from a breakdown in the theistic worldview, 3) to show how post-modernism puts a twist on them, and 4) to encourage us all to think in terms of worldviews.
First of all, however, Sire points out the fact that one must first know what a worldview is. He describes it as follows: a worldview is a set of presuppositions, which we hold about the basic makeup of our world. It is a sort of frame of reference or a pair of glasses through which we view the world. Now to break down that definition Sire describes presuppositions, as assumptions we hold that can be true, partially true, or entirely false. And, we hold them either consciously or unconsciously. We just have to recognize our own assumptions and then we can better understand our personal worldview. One example of a presupposition he gives is the fact that there is something out there, something exists. Now what that something is, is where different worldviews begin to emerge. Is that something only matter? Is it only spirit or soul? Or is it a mixture of both? Whatever our answer is to this it is generally unquestioned in our minds and only thought of if challenged by another. That is a presupposition: the building blocks of a worldview.
Another way to get at our worldview as discussed in this chapter is to answer seven basic questions about the world and things in it. Among these seven questions are questions like, ? What is prime reality?? God? gods? Or ?What is a human being?? A complex machine? An ape? The way we answer these basic questions show us our worldview.
To some, the answers seem obvious and yet to others the answers seem to be shrouded in mystery....