World views, forms of life, human values and education

This thesis is in essence a defence of world view pluralism. The introduction presents the claim that all human beings attempt to bring some structure to their experience, and that experience will conversely influence the structure we embrace. This structure or perspective is referred to in the thesis as a "world view".;Chapter Two describes, in an admittedly limited way, the basic positions of six largely institutionalized world views, namely, theism, deism, naturalism, panentheism, pantheism and polytheism. Each world view is sketched out in terms of some of its major claims and doctrines and how these positions address the basic five questions identified in Chapter One. Each position is also critiqued with attention being drawn to a variety of weaknesses, some of which are present in more than one world view.;Chapter Three relates world views to forms of life and basic human values. The author argues that despite differences in our world views our forms of life greatly overlap and, further the meeting of basic human needs is a prerequisite for the establishing of world views in the first place.;The author concludes that, in an educational setting, world views, forms of life and human values must be woven together into a matrix, thus avoiding the pitfalls of more limited religious education programs.;Chapter One explores the issue of doubt, and concludes that it is in fact possible to hold in a justifiable way a given world view. The chapter concludes with the author acknowledging his own world view, and on that basis identifying five basic questions which all world views attempt to address: (1) What is ultimate reality? (2) What is a human being? (3) What happens at death? (4) What is morality? (5) What is the meaning of human history?...