Intercultural Communication
Course code: COMM253/DMMA201
Gülden Hacımevlüt ALYAZ
galyaz@[Link]
CHAPTER 3:
Part 2
WORLDVIEW:
Cultural Explanations of Life and Death
O In the introduction to the last chapter we pointed out that
family, community (country), and worldview (religion)
were three of the earliest markers in the evolution of what
we now call culture.
O We noted that these three social organizations work in
combination to transmit the most important beliefs of
culture.
O We discussed family and community in details and now we
are going to discuss about worldview.
O Worldview (the third deep structure of culture):
O Worldview is a culture’s orientation toward God,
humanity, nature, questions of existence, the universe and
cosmos, life, moral and ethical reasoning, suffering, death,
and other philosophical issues that influence how its
members perceive their world.
O Worldview function works such as:
O 1. a guide to help people to define the world
O 2. how they should behave in the world
O 3. it helps define perceptions of reality
O 4. it provide instructions the individual on how to
function effectively in their community
O Worldview and Culture:
O Culture supplies most of a person’s worldview.
O Because of this reason, culture is often described as a
shared mindset.
O This connection to culture is even more obvious if you
recall that culture is automatic and unconscious.
O Often, worldviews operate at an unconscious level, so
that we are not even aware that other ways of seeing the
world are either possible or legitimate.
O Like the air we breathe, worldviews are a vital part of who
we are but not a part we usually think much about.
O The worldview of a culture functions to make sense of
life experiences that might otherwise be constructed as
chaotic, random, and meaningless.
O Therefore, worldview is imposed by collective wisdom as
a basis for sanctioned actions and enable survival and
adaptation.
O As our earlier part indicated, worldviews deal with
O What is the purpose of life?
O Is the world ruled by law, chance, or “God”?
O What is the right way to live?
O How did the world begin?
O What happens when we die?
O At the same time as they deal with these types of vital
questions, worldviews also govern life in small ways and
provide direction for the more practical features of life.
O In selecting its customs for day-to-day living, even the
little things, society chooses those ways that accord with
its thinking ways.
O The Importance of Worldview:
O If you understand a culture’s worldview, you can figure of
how to behave in that culture and also how to construct
your identity.
O You also learn how to communicate - having healthy and
productive relations - with your community members
O For example:
O The Islamic worldview provides insight into the Islamic
culture’s perception of women.
O The Shinto religion encourages an aesthetic appreciation of
nature in which the focus is on reality and not heaven.
O Christians believe in a single God who created the universe
and also “gave the world” his only son, Jesus Christ.
O Forms of Worldview:
O So, your worldview originates in your culture, is
transmitted via a multitude of channels, is composed of
numerous elements and can take a variety of forms.
O These worldview forms can be classifies as either religious
or nonreligious.
O Often referred to as secular and humanistic.
O We have different types of worldviews:
O 1. Religion as a worldview
O 2. Secularism as a worldview
O 3. Spirituality as a worldview
O 1. Religion as a worldview:
O Religion as a worldview has been found in every culture
for thousands of years.
O Worldview is intricately intertwined with religious beliefs
and practices.
O 2. Secularism as a worldview:
O This worldview “traces its roots from ancient China,
classical Greece and Rome, through
O (1) The Renaissance, and (2) The Enlightenment, to
(3) the Scientific Revolution of the modern world”.
O There are a host of words and phrases used to describe this
worldview such as
O Atheism (disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or
gods).
O Agnosticism (a person who believes that nothing is known or
can be known of the existence of God)
O Deism (belief in the existence of a supreme being, specifically
of a creator who does not intervene in the universe)
O Secular humanism (humanism viewed especially as relying
on reason, logic, and naturalism as opposed to religious
dogma and supernaturalism)
O The core premise of secularism is based on the belief that
there is a social order and deep structure belief system that
can exist without God or organized religion.
O Not only secularists deny the existence of God, but they
also take evolution as a fact, since they usually hold a
strong belief in the centrality of science and the scientific
method.
O They also maintain that because death is final and there is
no heaven or hell, a person should engage in acts that
contribute to the good of humanity in this world.
O In fact, the word “secular” is actually the Latin word for
“of this world”.
O 3. Spirituality as a worldview:
O In the core of this worldview, there is a belief that each
person can use his or her individual resources to discover
inner peace.
O Moreover, spirituality is part of each person that searches
for purpose, meaning, worth, and wonder, often in quest
of an ultimate value.
O Followers of spirituality would say that knowing yourself
O will give you a sense of purpose,
O allow you achieve your full potential, and
O connect you to others.
O You can expressed your spirituality in different ways:
O Mediation,
O Art,
O Pray, or
O Contemplation.
O Religion: (religious similarities)
O It should not be surprising that there are numerous
similarities among the world’s great religions since they all
have the same major goal – to make life and death
comprehensible for their followers.
O What are these similarities?
O 1. Speculation
O 2. Sacred Scriptures
O 3. Rituals
O 4. Ethics
O 5. Safe Haven
O 1. Speculation:
O From creation stories, such as the Bible’s book of Genesis,
to detailed descriptions of heaven and hell, all religions
assist us in understanding where people came from, why
they are here, what happens when they die…
O So, it falls to religion to supply the answers to these difficult
and universal questions.
O 2. Sacred Scriptures:
O “Each religion believes its sacred writings have divine or spirit-
inspired origin”.
O “They were either written or spoken by God, written by divinely
guided humans, or spoken by teachers of deep spiritual insight”.
They are authority figures, including
O Jesus, “the son of God”
O Muhammed, a conduit to deliver important message
O For Jews, Abraham and Moses, etc.
O 3. Rituals:
O Rituals are practiced by all religions.
O Ritual consists of symbolic action that represent religious
meaning.
O The Catholics is encouaged to attend Mass weekly,
O The Muslim is told to pray five times daily,
O The Hindu attends temple rituals frequently, etc.
O Why believers need to practice rituals?
O 1. They feel spiritually connected to their religion,
O 2. To develop a sense of religious identity,
O 3. To increase social bonds with other believers,
O 4. Rituals also serve to relieve social tensions.
O There are different forms of rituals such as
O Lighting of candles,
O The earing a certain attire,
O Sitting, standing or kneeling during prayer
O There are some rituals that need to practice some
important life stages (birth, marriage, death)
O 4. Ethics:
O Religion has played a prominent role in the regulation of
human behavior.
O Almost every religious tradition discriminates between
acceptable and unacceptable conduct.
O These ethical rules about what is true and wrong also have
much to say about a culture’s core value.
O All religions declare that people should avoid murder,
thieving, adultery or lying.
O On the other hand,
O They all stress the virtues of humility, charity, and
veracity.
O 5. Safe Haven:
O All religions provide their members with a sense of
security.
O From this point on, religion provides a promise for a
“vulnerable” human being.
O “They will be more strong with beliefs”.