Worldview Analysis And Personal Inventory

Worldview Analysis and Personal Inventory

Grand Canyon University: PHI-413V-0500

Worldview Analysis and Personal Inventory

Many of the beliefs that health care and nursing profession hold are Christian values and have made the practice of medicine what it is since the beginning of time. All the human population hold some type of belief and worldview. All decisions that are made hold deep values and beliefs that help shape a person’s worldview. So, it is important to us as nurses to understand how these worldviews affect our patient’s decision making and values in health care.

Christian Perspective Versus Postmodern Relativism Within Health Care

In the Christian Perspective, our God exists as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That would make God one being in three persons. He is the creator and sustainer of all that exists. While the Christian perspective holds science as one of the most powerful ways of obtaining knowledge, it does not look at science as the only way of getting knowledge from the world. It holds what is right and wrong are not just a subjective opinion, but real truths that need to be discovered. The Christian perspective believes that all wisdom comes from God. In health care, we reflect God’s love for the whole person. We do not treat patients as objects. “The Christian understanding of human beings as created in the image of God bestows dignity and honor on every person, regardless of social, mental or physical status” (Shelly & Miller, 2006).

Postmodern relativism suggests that there is no such thing as truth. It states that the truth is invented by people instead of being discovered. Relativism implies that there is only subjective opinions or beliefs. An example of this would be in the moral and ethical arguments about right or wrong. Claiming that “murder is wrong” or racism is evil” would be subjective opinions and that there is not genuine right or wrong. Postmodern relativism state that the “human life is no more valuable than a rock or a raccoon” (Shelly & Miller, 2006). I can not imagine working in healthcare where there is no such thing as truth and where murder would not be considered wrong.

Scientism

Scientism is the belief that science has an explanation for everything. It’s followers worship science, its rituals, and its results. While people who believe in religion often seek knowledge through tradition that has been passed on through generations, scientism seek knowledge from things that are directly observable or verifiable. Scientism claims that science is the only source of knowledge. It would be the polar opposite of faith.

“By learning how the physical world worked, humans could overcome hunger through innovations in agriculture, eliminate disease through medical research, and dramatically improve overall quality of life through technology and industry. Ultimately, science would save humans from unnecessary suffering and their self-destructive tendencies. And it promised to achieve these goals in this world, not the afterlife” (Burnet, n.d., para. 1).

One argument against scientism is the fundamental argument. Because science is based on things that are nonscientific such as perception, memory, and introspection, then we should mistrust these nonscientific sources of belief. If nonscientific sources of belief do not deliver knowledge, then we could not us our memory. We would also not be allowed to use draw any conclusions from data. This would rely on basic logical intuitions. “As soon as scientism discards nonscientific sources of belief, it removes its own foundations and thus collapses” (Peels, 2017). Another argument against scientism is the argument from self-referential incoherence. “The point of the argument is that scientism itself is not sufficiently supported merely by natural science and, therefore, on scientism itself scientism cannot be rationally believed or known” (Peels, 2015). One example of this would be that there are no objective truths. “This is self-referentially incoherent, because it claims as an objective truth that there are no objective truths” (Peels, 2017, p. 5),

Worldview

Worldview is how we see the world and make sense of life. Every person has a worldview whether they know it or not. It is all that you believe to be true and this becomes the motivation behind every action, decision, and emotion that we have. “How a person makes sense of the world depends upon their perspective of reality. So, a worldview forms a mental structure that organizes one’s basic or ultimate beliefs” (Ekstrand, 2012. para.7).

What is The Ultimate Reality?

According to this writer’s personal perspective, the ultimate reality consists of God, who is separate from the physical world he created. I believe that we belong only to God and that he is the creator of all things. We must learn to love him more than anything else in our world. All human beings are valuable and reflect the image of God. As a Catholic, we believe that one God exists as three persons, the Trinity. The Trinity consists of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. “God the Father created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). God the Son acts as a redeemer through his incarnation in Jesus. And God the Holy Spirit lives within the church and the hearts of each believer. We also believe that angels and saints are the soldiers for God. The angels would be considered God’s servants and messengers. They are beings of pure spirit. A human who has lived a life serving God and has had openness is considered a saint. They are guaranteed to enter heaven when they die.

What is the nature of the universe?

As a Catholic, we believe that nothing exists that does not owe its existence to God the Creator. Each creature has its own goodness and perfection. We must try to make our perspective towards all things and all creatures to exist only in the dependence of each other. We must praise God simply for their existence. We also know that no creature or thing is self-sufficient. They exist to service each other.

What is a human being?

As Catholics, we believe that humans were created in the image and likeness of God. Each human life is considered sacred. We believe that humans are essentially good because they were created in the image of God. Because of sin, the human being was forced to go out of the perfect home, the Garden of Eden, and labor and hurt to survive. We believe that because of the disobedience, sin marked our souls to be carried to all succeeding generations. We also don’t believe that humans are fated to act one way or the other. We believe that sin and obedience are the result of free choice. God chooses to preserve human freedom and limit divine intervention. Salvation is the final goal of the human existence. Because Jesus, Son of God, chose obedience, he made it possible for humans to attain the goal for which they were created. We experience this through grace. God always offers grace to humans. When humans do accept the grace, their brokenness is overcome. Our original purpose as human beings are to love and serve God and each other. We do this in many ways such as teaching of children, helping the poor, caring for the sick, or praying for others. Once we die, then our soul separates from our earthly body. We will then enter our particular judgement that is based on our works and our faith. This will lead us to Heaven, Hell, Or Purgatory. Once you enter Heaven or Hell, this is your final destination. Those that enter Purgatory are guaranteed the final destination of Heaven. The final judgement takes place at the end of time. This is when all souls will be reunited with their bodies. Those in Purgatory will be joined to the blessed in Heaven.

What is knowledge?

Knowledge is knowing what the world is about through the familiarity gained through our experiences. It is not only subjective but also objective. According to WikipediaWorld, “in Christianity, the word of knowledge is a spiritual gift listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8. It has been associated with the ability to teach the faith, but also with forms of revelation similar to prophecy. It is closely related to another spiritual gift, the word of wisdom” (2019, para. 1). The gift of knowledge is used to help us to accomplish the purpose of God in our lives. God wants us to spread his word of faith with others. By using our knowledge, we can stand strong against those that try to destroy the work of God.

What is your basis of ethics?

As a Catholic, the two main sources of moral teaching are the natural law and the divine law. The natural law is one that is found in human nature itself. In the divine law, it is revealed by God. We are taught in the church the gift of living right as well as correct believing. We are given the ability to choose from many good actions. However, this freedom can enable us to choose things that are wrong also. As long as we are alive, we have the freedom to choose between good and evil actions. Our basic ethical teaching is founded upon the pursuit of what is good.

What is the purpose of your existence?

The purpose of my existence is because God wanted to share with us His very nature and goodness. By Him sharing in his blessed life, it has made each one of use unique and irreplaceable as individuals. He wants to share His everlasting happiness in Heaven. To gain this happiness, we must know, love, and serve God in this world. Salvation is the ultimate goal of our existence. This can be done through grace. When we accept grace that is offered to us, we overcome the brokenness and are able to be co-creators with God.

References

Burnett, T., (n.d.) What is Scientism? Retrieved from https://www.aaas.org/programs/dialogue-science-ethics-and-religion/what-scientism

Ekstrand, D.W., (2012). “Ultimate Reality” The constraints of a worldview. Retrieved from http://www.thetransformedsoul.com/additional-studies/spiritual-life-studies/ultimate-reality

Essays, U.K., (2018). Worldview God Ultimate Reality Knowledge Religion Essay. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/religion/worldview-god-ultimate-reality-knowledge-religion-essay.php?vref=1

Peels, R. (2017). The Fundamental Argument against Scientism. In M. Boudry, & M. Pigliucci (Eds.), Science Unlimited?: The Challenges of Scientism University of Chicago Press. Retrieved from https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/the-fundamental-argument-against-scientism

Peels, R., (2015). The Self-Referential Incoherence Argument against Scientism. Retrieved from http://www.rikpeels.nl/files/Scientism.pdf

Shelly, J.A., & Miller, A.B., (2006). Called to care: A Christian worldview of nursing. Retrieved from https://viewer.gcu.edu/UGPTQ4

Takett, D., (2006). What’s a Christian worldview? Retrieved from https://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/christian-worldview/whats-a-christian-worldview/whats-a-worldview-anyway

Wikipedia (2019) Word of Knowledge. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_of_Knowledge