1. Materialism: Materialism is a worldview that asserts that the physical world is the only reality. Materialists are convinced when things are explained with physical laws and phenomena. Consciousness and spiritual experiences are simply products of the physical brain. According to this worldview, there is no such thing as a soul or a spiritual realm, and human beings are purely physical beings. Materialism is often associated with science, as it emphasizes the importance of empirical evidence and rejects supernatural explanations.
2. Spiritism: Spiritism, in contrast to materialism, asserts that the spiritual realm is the most important aspect of reality. Spiritists believe that the physical world is merely a manifestation of spiritual forces. Spiritists are convinced by inner spiritual experiences that are considered more real than physical experience. According to this worldview, human beings are essentially spiritual beings that are temporarily inhabiting physical bodies. Spiritism is often associated with religion, as it emphasizes the importance of faith and spiritual practice.
3. Realism: Realism is a worldview that asserts that the external world that surrounds us is real, but they are only convinced by what they have seen of the world and have thought about. Realists believe that there is a distinction between the world and our perception of it. They do not necessarily believe in a physical world of quantum mechanics or the existence of a spiritual realm. According to this worldview, the world is objectively real, but our knowledge of it is limited by our thoughts of what we have seen around us.
4. Idealism: Idealism asserts the physical world of phenomena has no meaning unless a progressive tendency of growth and development can be found within it. The Idealist is convinced by finding ideas and ideals that give life meaning and purpose. Beautiful, grand and glorious things are found to be the true nature of reality, but Idealism is unable to explain external reality.
5. Mathematism: Mathematism is a worldview that asserts that the physical world can only be understood through mathematical models and formulas. Mathematists believe that mathematics is the only true language of the universe, and that everything can be explained and predicted through mathematical equations. According to this worldview, the Mathematist is convinced by viewing the world as a mechanical apparatus and making calculations about how it operates.
6. Rationalism: Rationalism is a worldview that asserts that ideas are active in the world and is convinced by ideas that are acquired through rational analysis of empirical evidence. According to this worldview, the human mind is capable of understanding the universe through the application of reason and logic. He is only convinced by ideas read from external things that are real to the senses, and not by the ideas that are grasped solely from his inner self by some sort of intuition or inspiration.
7. Psychism: Psychism is a worldview that is interested in the human psyche, in the beings who have the ideas. Ideas are bound up with the being capable of having ideas. Psychism is convinced by showing how ideas are related to the being having the ideas.
8. Pneumatism: Pneumatism is a worldview that asserts that the universe is animated by a universal spirit or life force. Pneumatists believe that all living things are connected by this life force, and that it is the source of all spiritual and psychic phenomena. According to this worldview, the physical world is infused with a spiritual essence that is essential to understanding the nature of reality.
9. Monadism: Monadism is a worldview that asserts that the universe is made up of individual units of consciousness known as monads. Every monad is unique and has its own perspective on reality. The true nature of reality can only be understood through the perspective of individual monads. Enclosed in itself and aware of itself, nothing can come into this monad that is external to it, living life independent of others. It builds up existence in itself and forces concepts outward from within itself. All its cognitive and perceptual experience is the result of its own activity. Monadists reflect on the essential element in the world and form reality out of the self-conscious life of the soul.
10. Dynamism: Dynamism is a worldview that asserts that the universe is in a constant state of flux, constantly adapting and evolving by the dynamic forces of change. It looks for 'forces' behind world phenomena, such as magnetism or gravitation; changing cycles, motion and energy. Everything in the universe is interconnected, and changes in one part of the system can have a ripple effect throughout the entire system.
11. Phenomenalism: Phenomenalism is a worldview that asserts that the world that appears to us is not the true one, but only a collection of phenomena or sensory experiences that we interpret and organize into a coherent reality. Phenomenalists believe that the world spread out around us is a world of colors and sounds that arise because of processes in my eyes and ears.
12. Sensationalism: Sensationalism is a worldview that asserts that the physical world is entirely composed of sensory experiences. Sensationalists believe that all knowledge is derived from our sensory experiences, and that there is no innate knowledge or understanding beyond what we can perceive through our senses. It removes the thought we have added to the world that comes from the understanding and reason and is only convinced by sense-impressions without interpretation.
WORLD VIEWS
source: The Qualities Of Time: Volume V The Earth By Paul Platt
ARIES - IDEALISM A world view that sees life shaping significance in the
world of 'ideas', 'ideologies'. As Emerson put it: 'What is important is not
events, deeds, even experiences, but ideas."
TAURUS - RATIONALISM Steady, step by step, measured 'reasonable',
common-sensical manner of thinking. Reason and thinking through things is a
source of knowledge superior to and independent of sense impressions. 'That
makes sense'; that is 'nonsense'.
GEMINI - MATHEMATISM Type of thinking that seeks to reduce things to
'essentials'. Mathematical, economical and clear. "A line is the shortest distance
between two points." A world picture that would try to characterize life in
terms of mathematical formulae or reduce the creation to a single mathematical
proposition.
CANCER - MATERIALISM Type of thinking which is pictorial, sensitive
oriented towards the world of matter and the bodily. Seeks to explain all things
as based purely on physical, material causes. In a larger sense a thinking that
comes out of the 'mother' sphere of the world and man: concerned with
nutrition, heredity, racial characteristics, etc.
LEO - SENSUALISM A type of thinking which is heartfelt, full of feeling and
interest in direct experience of the world through immediate stimulation of the
senses and not through analysis and reflection. Related to 'wholism', 'gestalt'
views, etc. As Goethe put it 1he senses don't deceive, but the judgement
deceives."
VIRGO - PHENOMENALISM Sober, methodical, precise grasp of the
three-dimensional world of 'appearances'. One sees the world in terms of
movement, metamorphosis and development through the course of time. Here
is the ripening, maturing, blossoming processes unfolding in time.
LIBRA - REALISM Calm, objective and unemotional, even-temperedness in
living with(in) day by day changes of life. Strong experience of appearance
world as two-dimensional or picture like in character (dream like). Tendency to
look at questions from many points of view, or changing standpoints. on the
same question is characteristic of this way of seeing life.
SCORPIO - DYNAMISM World pictures concerned with 'realities' of
substance, life, movement in daily changing cycles, here gives way to a view
that looks for 'forces' behind phenomena themselves: whether 'magnetism' or
'gravitation', 'stresses' and 'strains'. Becoming change, motion and energy and
the forces instrumental in these dynamics of development are basic to
Universe's constitution. This is the world of analysis, dissection, etc.
SAGITTARIUS - MONADISM 'Logical', concentrated, single-minded
thinking, coming from individual 'monadic' units in a complex 'molecule' of
consciousness is found here. As Rudolf Steiner put it: "A being who can build
up existence in itself and force concepts outward from within itself." Imagine a
meditation teacher radiating out from the third eye a focussed, concept forming
power.
CAPRICORN - SPIRITISM Thinking is deeply inward, contemplative,
prayerful. The orientation is towards what is spiritual. One sees the immanent
world as purely the expression of a multitude of individual, hierarchically
ordered spiritual beings. This also comes to expression in the scientific striving
to find 'laws' of nature. One is reminded as well of the view of Christian
Science that the foundation for all of life is 'mind'.
AQUARIUS - PNEUMATISM Here is a tolerant, open-minded thinking. One
may be living in the 'air waves' or pneuma where one gains impressions of the
harmony and intervals or relationships between beings, energies, vibrations.
Energies and vibrations as foundational to one's way of looking at life. Here
there is an intimate link to the world of electricity, artificial intelligence,
'fields', 'auras' etc. If one compares this with the classical view of the pneuma
held by the Stoics -'an ethereal fiery stuff or universal spirit' - one can see the
obvious relation to the above named aspects of contemporary life and thinking.
PISCES - PSYCHISM Deep, broad, generous thinking. Psychisrn is
characterized as a doctrine that there is a fluid, universally diffused and equally
animating all living beings. This is the world of the 'psychics'; the would be
navigators on the 'sea of life'. Here world causes are thought to lie outside the
physical, yet work into it, participating as it does through its universal, fluidic
sensitivity, within the manifold, destiny creating impulses and currents in the
ocean of life
