A worldview is
…a set of beliefs about what exists, how reality is organized, and how we fit into it… it’s an overarching cognitive framework that helps to make sense of things, practically, ethically and existentially.
https://naturalism.org/worldview-naturalism/encountering-naturalism-a-worldview-and-its-uses
We all have a worldview. And it changes over time and with our life experiences. In our youth it is mostly dictated by our parents and close family. It expands when we start school and encounter new ideas and experiences. But it’s not until we approach adulthood (the age of reason) that it really starts to fully develop and influence us.
Our world view is the sum total of our beliefs. Which means it contains numerous individual parts. But because we learn many many things informally from our surrounding culture, our worldview is typically a close derivative of it. Which suggests that the best ways to understand our worldview is to examine our culture.
Indeed, we are products of culture far more then we are products of any other single force that shapes our behavior. -Schumaker, John F. Wings of Illusion, Prometheus Press, 1990.
Worldviews are often internally contradictory and not necessarily true because few people have the time or energy to verify their beliefs. As long as they work for the person, they will prevail. Only when one sees and experiences the conflict will they look for alternatives.
The most common way to categorize worldviews are as religious or non religious. In this case I include any worldview that incorporates a belief in the supernatural (including mysticism) in the religious category.
There are literally thousands religious schools of thought that serve as the foundation of religious worldviews. But there are relatively few secular schools of thought that support secular worldviews.
The two outstanding schools of thought that support secular worldviews are:
- Naturalism, which logically suggests
- Existentialism
Our worldview is how we perceive reality. They are, effectively one in the same to the individual person. If you truly lack a belief in the supernatural, studying these two schools of thought will greatly contribute to your your understanding of life/reality and advance your secular spiritual journey.