Throughout life, each person acquires certain knowledge in a different way. A worldview is the result of the process of cognition and the foundation of the personality’s thinking. This concept characterizes the relationship between the world and human consciousness, and also acts as a definition for the capabilities of the individual. Philosophy as a theoretical form of worldview is considered as the main one in the process of cognition of the world.
The essence of being in terms of acquired knowledge
A look at the surrounding reality is a set of fundamental thoughts that determine the position of the individual in society, help to understand what is happening in the world, generalize the knowledge gained. Philosophy as a form of worldview is one of the levels of vision of the necessity of earthly existence.
The knowledge, goals, beliefs and expectations obtained in the process of life are combined as a result into one picture of the worldview. And the components of the general perception of the world are information of a different nature:
- everyday knowledge;
- life;
- practical;
- scientific and professional.
Therefore, in each historical period, people have a different level of knowledge.
Intellectual stocks determine the worldview of a person at the stage of formation as an individual. Properly chosen principles help a person to develop harmoniously and to be a full member of society. But at the same time, the chosen goals and foundations of existence of different representatives of the human race can radically differ.
Landmark Levels
There are two main levels of worldview:
- Everyday and practical. It is characterized by the spontaneous acquisition of knowledge under the influence of religious and national beliefs. A particular effect is exerted by the public opinion and the adoption of other people's experience in their lives. All skills are acquired gradually and are based solely on observation and experience.
- Theoretical. It is characterized by the presence of historically established knowledge, which are based on evidence. Philosophy as a form of consciousness and a type of worldview is in a significant place at the theoretical level.
Worldview Forms
The history of mankind identifies three main categories reflecting the worldview of man. These include:
- mythology;
- religion;
- philosophy.
As forms of worldview, they carry different semantic load and have different values for the people.
Mythology as the earliest form of social consciousness
Since ancient times, people have tried to find the rationale for each process. Fantastic speculations and realistic motives were equally peculiar to the perception of the environment. Their main idea was:
- attempts to explain the origin of the human race;
- The universe;
- natural processes;
- life and death;
- signs of fate;
- first explanations of the concepts of morality and other important events.
Myth is a form of worldview. Philosophy: myth humanizes all the characters of the historical period, admits the existence of fantastic creatures and deifies them. Considers their interaction with human individuals and assesses the level of their relationship.
All mythological storylines are monotonous and do not have a dynamic development. The emergence of fabulous predictions has a practical orientation, which is determined by the solution of the tasks. Most often they cared for rescue from natural disasters, trying to protect farm buildings, crop lands and cattle.
Religion as a form of worldview
Belief in supernatural processes that are not subject to man has given rise to a new form of worldview - religion. The presence of a fantastic subtext in all ongoing processes affects the life path of a person and his thoughts. The subconscious mind always finds a sensual and emotional image, denying a rational approach to the perception of what is happening around.
Religion, by the way, has not only a worldview function, but also plays a role in uniting and consolidating society, in order to discuss inspiring ideas. The cultural subject matter of religion contributes to the total dissemination of certain values to the masses. Its moral function is reflected in the cultivation in the public mind of an ideal picture of a world in which love, mutual assistance, honesty, tolerance, decency, compassion and respect reign.
Philosophy as a special type of worldview
Philosophy as an independent form of consciousness has clear differences from the religious and mythological, suggesting other types and forms of worldview. Philosophy has a scientific and theoretical essence. Thought reflexively processes itself, based not on fictional knowledge, but on the evidence-conscious level of perception. It includes:
- general principles of existence (these include ontology and metaphysical knowledge);
- public development (history and society);
- anthropological knowledge;
- creation;
- aesthetic aspect;
- culturology.
Philosophy as a special form of worldview gives the world an assessment of all existing knowledge, presenting a picture of the world as an integrated system with interrelated parameters. Considering the types and forms of worldview, philosophy is the highest level, endowed with logical thinking, a theoretical foundation and a systematic block of knowledge. Beliefs give credibility to the pursuit of truth.
The meaning of philosophy
Religion, philosophy - forms of worldview of a deep spiritual meaning. Almost 2.5 thousand years ago, philosophical teaching was born as an independent in the most prosperous countries of that time (India, China, Greece). It was the Greeks who allowed philosophy to become an area of the spiritual life of society. And initially a thorough translation of the named term was in two words - "love of wisdom."
The main forms of worldview - philosophy, religion and mythology appeared at the time of emergency for the rational development of the public. These teachings made it possible to systematize knowledge and give them clear names and classification. When the evolution of the human race reached a certain level, it was possible to compose a holistic picture of the world.
Philosophers sought to incorporate all existing knowledge, so they were distinguished by rich erudition and a high level of intelligence. Pioneers in the enlightenment of the people of wisdom: Heraclitus, Thales, Anaximander.
Philosophy at all times considers knowledge of the world as a single organism in which a person lives. It acts as a theoretical basis for cognition of the surrounding reality.
Philosophy Functions
For the first time, philosophy as a form of worldview was mentioned by Pythagoras. He also identified the main functional features of this area:
- Worldview. Human perception has the ability to form a complete picture for understanding reality. Worldview helps a person to determine the meaning of life, to feel the principles of mutual communication with others, to get an idea about the structure of the planet and the conditions of life on it.
- Methodological. Thanks to philosophy, fundamental methods are created for cognizing the existence of the world, defining the surrounding reality as an object of research.
- Thinking and theoretical. Philosophy as a form of worldview teaches correct thinking, helping to build the right arguments based on a generalization of facts about the surrounding reality. Promotes the development of concretization skills and logical decisions. Like mythology, a form of worldview - philosophy - considers the relationship between beings of nature.
- Epistemological. It contributes to the development of a correct life position, awareness of current reality, and develops cognitive mechanisms.
- Critical Historical forms of worldview in philosophy cast doubt on the surrounding reality, as well as suggest the search for contradictions and quality assessment. The fundamental objective of this process is the ability to expand the boundaries of knowledge and increase the percentage of information reliability.
- Axiological. This function is responsible for evaluating the world from the position of a value reference point. The most important dogmas: moral aspect, ethical standards, social and ideological. The axiological function is a kind of filter that helps to pass through the sieve of knowledge the most necessary and useful, throwing away the destructive, outdated and pulling down.
- Social. It involves an attempt to explain the reasons for the creation of society, the consideration of society from the point of view of evolutionary development. It determines the forces that can change and improve the existing social current.
- Educational and humanitarian. This function instills in human society ideal values, strengthens morality, improves the process of adaptation and helps members of society find their place in life.
- Predictive. Allows you to determine the path of further development based on the available information, as well as make forecasts for future years. It determines the tendency to a more thorough study of the cognitive process.
Directions of Philosophy
The described teaching is trying to cover various kinds of questions, both general and specific. Solving the problem highlights for major areas of philosophy:
- Materialism. Items are considered separately from consciousness. Their independent existence is supposed. Things consist of material education (source) of elementary origin. The emergence is characterized in the form of a reaction to the development of a religious movement as one of the forms of worldview. The ancient Greek philosopher Thales became the founder of the theory. Its successors actively developed the characteristics of the doctrine. Thanks to the knowledge gained, a breakthrough was made in the study of mathematical, astronomical and physical sciences.
- Idealism. Considers the emergence of all material from the spiritual.
The specifics of the scientific and philosophical worldview
Scientific thinking is based on basic knowledge and is clearly limited by the subject of study. It operates according to an accurate program without the possibility of the slightest deviation from the course. The rules of scientific research have a clear algorithm of action. The studied concepts and definitions greatly facilitate the process and implement tasks.
Philosophical teaching is carried out on the basis of comparison and swimming from one area to another, in search of the right solution. Forms tasks and values. Philosophical categories are fuzzy and have no boundaries, allowing any ideas to exist. Helps science in finding the right solutions when the familiar algorithm fails.
