Social Studies 8 When Worldviews Meet Worldview Worldview

Social Studies 8 When Worldviews Meet

Worldview • Worldview: A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or group; the lens through which the world is viewed by an individual or group; the overall perspective from which the world is interpreted. Aztec Examples? ? ? Spanish Examples? ?

• Elements of a Worldview – The collection of beliefs within a worldview often includes views about the following: • • • human nature—beliefs about the basic make-up of people; e. g. , people are naturally good or naturally evil, outward or inward looking • • • the good life—the goals to strive for in living one’s life; e. g. , virtuous action, personal accomplishment, peace of mind, adventure, love • • • equality with others—belief about the status of some individuals or groups in relation to others; e. g. , all people are equal as opposed to some people deserve special privileges

• responsibilities to others—beliefs about the extent of obligations to others; e. g. , care for self first or care for others first • • • relationship between the individual and the state— beliefs about the balance between individual and collective rights; e. g. , individual rights are more important than the rights of the collective (society) or vice versa • • • relationship of humans with nature—beliefs about the way human beings should look on and act toward the environment; e. g. , preserving nature is more important than using natural resources to support human activity • • • sources of ethical wisdom—beliefs about the ultimate authority for ethical principles; e. g. , religious deity, science, natural rights.

Clues for Identifying Worldview • What are they?

• Step one: Study the images (Assignment Picture #1 and #2) above as typical scenes from the two mystery societies. • Step two: Analyze images of each society! You may want to use the chart above What I See and Think to record the evidence and conclusions for your images.

• Step three: Review identifying implied worldviews. Images can reveal much about a society’s worldview. Review the key elements of worldview below: • view of human nature • view of the good life • equality with others • responsibilities to others • relationship between the individual and the state • relationship of humans with nature • sources of ethical wisdom

• Step four: Analyze images for worldview elements. One cautionary note- your image may not contain clues about some elements of worldview. Take your time and develop a master list of the elements of worldview, summarizing what you have hypothesized about its society. • Step five: Predict the most likely results when these two societies meet. Remember, to make a plausible prediction you must have the following in place: • likely to happen given features of their respective worldviews • supported by details in the images.

• Step six: Share predictions. You are invited to share your predictions with the class. Post your conclusions in the Discussions area and take a look at the other conclusions posted there. • Step seven: Evaluate predictions.

Analyzing Images

The 5 W questions • Who are the people? (e. g. , soldiers, rulers, merchants, priests) • How do you know? (look for evidence) • What are they doing? (e. g. , praying, manufacturing, harvesting) • Where is the action taking place? (e. g. , palace courtyard, agricultural area, a ship) • When is it happening? (e. g. , long ago, in medieval times, during the Renaissance) • Why is it happening? (e. g. , securing food, protecting territory, accumulating wealth)