English version (Pa papiamentu skrol bai mas abou)
“I believe in evidence-based decision making. I want to know what the facts are.” – Hillary Clinton (former First Lady of USA).
Most people are familiar with C. S. Lewis’ saying: Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching. They quote it very often because they consider it a powerful catchphrase. But this raises another question: what is the right thing? Humankind has been struggling for centuries with all the answers to this question and has realized that it boils down to one’s worldview.
Everybody has a worldview. A worldview can be defined as a set of beliefs, values, and assumptions about fundamental aspects of reality. Your worldview influences your perceiving, thinking, learning, and decision-making. It’s also called your philosophy of life. If that is the case, you would conclude that all worldviews are thus equally valid. But what about screening the worldviews based on evidence, facts that have been proven? After all, the administration of justice, doing science, and managing society are evidence-based. Some people reject this from the start because worldviews are often propagated by religions, and they don’t want to discuss religious matters.
But a worldview in itself has nothing to do with religion. You don’t have to be religious to have a worldview. As a matter of fact, you live by one, whether you are aware of it or not.
Why would you hold the door open for an approaching elderly person? Because you care. Why would you care? It’s because of the worldview you have adopted as the right thing to do. You have experienced such acts bringing added value to societal life. And what about accepting bribes? Some people disapprove of it out of conviction, others may avoid it because of the negative consequences for their career, and others will go for it when the chance of being caught is very small. It all depends on each one’s worldview.
That you adhere to a particular worldview proves that they are not all equally valid to you. You balance the one against the other based on your experience, the pieces of evidence known to you. Did you know that our present technological level gives proof of a particular worldview? More about this in our next edition.
Available on our website, Mensing's Caminada, and Amazon. (Prices listed above are valid when purchased directly from LWI).
“Mi ta kere den toma di desishon basá riba prueba. Mi ke sa kiko ta e echonan.” – Hillary Clinton (èks primera dama di USA).
Mayoria hende konosé e dicho di C. S. Lewis: Integridat ta hasi loke ta korekto asta ora niun hende n’ ta mira. Nan ta sit’é hopi bia pasobra nan ta konsiderá ku e ta resumí e esensia na un manera poderoso. Pero esaki ta lanta un otro pregunta: Kiko ta korekto? Humanidat a lucha pa siglonan largu ku tur e kontestanan riba e pregunta aki i a bin ta realisá ku tur kos ta dependé di bo ‘worldview’.
Tur hende tin un ‘worldview’. Nos por definí un ‘worldview’ komo un sèt di kreensia, balornan i loke bo ta asumí tokante aspektonan fundamental di realidat. Bo ‘worldview’ ta influensiá bo manera di opservá, pensa, siña i toma di desishon. Nan ta yam’é tambe bo filosofia di bida. Si esei t’e kaso lo bo konkluí ku tur ‘worldview’ tin mésun valides. Pero ‘que hubo’ si nos skrin e ‘worldview’-nan a base di evidensia, echos ku a keda probá? Pasobra al fin al kabo, hasimentu di hustisia, praktiká siensia i maneho di sosiedat ta basá riba evidensia.
Tin hende ta rechasá esaki fo’i den salida pasobra ‘worldview’ ta wòrdu hopi bia propagá dor di religionnan i nan no ke diskutí riba asuntunan religioso. Pero ‘worldview’ riba su mes no tin nada keber ku religion. Bo no mester ta religioso pa bo tin un ‘worldview’. Por sierto, bo ta biba segun un sierto ‘worldview’, sea konsiente òf nò.
Di kon lo bo tene porta habrí pa un hende grandi ku ta aserkando? Pasobra bo tin sentimentu pa hende. Di kon bo tin esei? Pasobra segun e ‘worldview’ ku b’a adoptá, esei ta lo korekto pa hasi. B’a eksperensiá ku e aktonan ei ta duna balor agregá na sosiedat. I ke hubo di aseptá sèn bou'i mesa? Tin hende ta desaprobá nan fo’i nan konvikshon, otro lo evit’é pa motibu di e konsekuensianan negativo pa nan karera i otro lo dal bai si e chèns pa wòrdu gará ta hopi chikí. Tur kos ta dependé di kada un su ‘worldview’.
E echo ku bo ta tene bo mes na un sierto ‘worldview’ ta proba ku nan no ta igual pa bo. Bo ta pisa esun kontra e otro basá riba bo eksperensia, e evidensianan ku ta konosí pa bo. Bo tabata sa ku nos nivel teknológiko aktual ta evidensia di un sierto ‘worldview’? Mas tokante esaki den nos siguiente edishon.
