"I am convinced that for any of us to be fully conscious intellectually we should not only be able to detect the worldviews of others but be aware of our own- why it is ours and why in light of so many options we think it is true." So states James Sire in The Universe Next Door, a basic worldview catalog. What is a worldview?
A worldview is a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistenly) about the basic makeup of our world.In this book, Sire looks at the following worldviews: Christian theism, deism, naturalism, nihilism, existentialism, eastern pantheistic monism, the new age, and postmodernism. For each, he presents how a given worldview answers these seven questions:
1. What is prime reality- the really real?
2. What is the nature of external reality, that is, the world around us?
3. What is a human being?
4. What happens to a person at death?
5. Why is it possible to know anything at all?
6. How do we know what is right and wrong?
7. What is the meaning of human history?
I was really looking forward to this book, but put it down a quarter of the way through. After his discussion on Christian theism, Sire's following chapters are more condemnation than presentation of other worldviews. Though I happen to agree with him on many counts, and understand the importance of thorough analysis and critique, it wasn't what I was looking for. He is correct- carrying some philosophies to their logical conclusion can expose critical errors or terrifying results, and it's vital to have such discussions as we look at frameworks of understanding the world. I wanted what the subtitle stated, though- 'a basic worldview catalog.' This is not such a work.
Rating: B-
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