A worldview is a lens through which we see the world and our place in it. Operating mostly outside our awareness, a worldview functions as a sort of automatic filter that shapes our perceptions and influences our goals, desires, motivations, values, relationships, and behaviors.
Worldviews are influenced by many factors, such as family, politics, religion, and community, among others, and can be both individually held and culturally shared.
Why Does It Matter?
IONS research suggests that becoming proficient at worldview literacy — the capacity to critically examine and integrate your own and others’ worldviews — may be the single most important step a person can take to reach their highest potential.
As today’s students grapple with unprecedented changes in lifestyle and technology, unpredictable challenges to global sustainability, and an ever-expanding array of choices to connect within and across cultures, it is more critical than ever that they learn to navigate new perspectives calmly, quickly, and compassionately.
Worldview Explorations provides an opportunity for students to hone their skills at sharing authentically, listening with an open mind and heart, and building more meaningful relationships with their peers, teachers, and the outside world.