“A Worldly View of Worldview Metaphysics.” In: Worldviews and Cultures

Abstract

The mental realm remains obscure; the causes of reprehensible behaviour remain elusive despite the plethora of socio-psychological research and modelling of intentional group behaviour. When the construct called social or ethnic worldview is added to the narrative mix of beliefs, social norms, principles of action, peer pressures, religious mandates, traditions, and customs to explain someone’s inexplicable behaviour, we are only adding to the obscurity surrounding protracted self-destructive violence. It will be shown that talk of divergent atomized worldview deflects attention from the more pernicious features of our interdependent social reality which provoke some people into defensive postures of intractable distrust and protracted combat