WELTANSCHAUUNG
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3768 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
A global paradigmatic worldview.
As observed by J. SUTHERLAND, any Weltanschauung “can not only serve as a guide for empirical efforts but (also) as a perceptual filter which can exclude data and causal inferences which would be incompatible within the context of the …. paradigm itself” (1973, p.121).
His/her Weltanschauung is the most global cultural frame of reference for the observer, who uses it and lives within it, many times without being conscious of it.
SUTHERLAND's comment actually refers to the mechanistic worldview, but it can be applied to any Weltanschauung, including of course the systemic-cybernetic one. Systemists should thus beware of conceptual absolutism and intolerance.
(Note: WELTANSCHAUUNG is a German word quite often used by some systemists, which is the reason for its inclusion in this encyclopedia).
Within the “archeology”of the concept, W.von HUMBOLDT's “Weltansicht”(World perspective) should be mentionned (“Gesammelte schriften”, Berlin Akademie, 1836-39)