reflection about worldview

1. explain the Christian perspective of the nature of spirituality and ethics in contrast to the perspective of postmodern relativism within health care.

2 .explain what scientism is and describe two of the main arguments against it.
answer each of the worldview questions according to your own personal perspective and worldview:
3.
What is ultimate reality?
What is the nature of the universe?
What is a human being?
What is knowledge?
What is your basis of ethics?
What is the purpose of your existence?

Use references < 5 years old only and obtainable via web

ANSWER

Reflection about Worldview

1. Explain the Christian perspective of the nature of spirituality and ethics in contrast to the perspective of postmodern relativism within health care.

First, Christians believe in the existence of God in three forms including God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In this perspective, God is perceived as an eternal and all-powerful being beyond human comprehension. As Christians rely on Biblical systems, the belief in the purpose and meaning of life. While humans make life choices, they remain grounded in the guidelines presented by God through the Bible. In this sense, Christians believe that their actions should be in accordance with God’s guidance (Melé & Fontrodona, 2017). An important aspect is that Christians regard ethics as making decisions that conform with Biblical laws. Given the nature of their beliefs, Christians focus on relieving human suffering, while aiming to restore human life.

Postmodern relativism is concerned with the non-existence of truth. From this perspective, human identity is considered as social making. Thus, postmodern relativism emphasizes the subjectivity of ideas among humans. Based on this concept, the argument regarding God’s existence is viewed as ambiguous. With regards to ethics, postmodern relativism argues that ethical situations may either be valid or invalid (Holtz, 2020). By comparing the two perspectives, it is evident that medical practitioners using postmodern relativism may benefit, as the concept allows the existence of multiple truths. Most importantly, the perception can facilitate the development of a multicultural healthcare system, where people with different beliefs are allowed to raise their opinions.

2. Explain what scientism is and describe two of the main arguments against it.

According to scientism, society should prioritize science as the primary tool for acquiring valid knowledge. Primarily, the idea is based on the fact that scientific studies such as physics and biology rely on experiments. As scientism relies on experiments, life after death is considered non-existent due to a lack of studies on the subject. The first argument against scientism is that science cannot offer a complete description of reality. In this case, science is constrained in the quantitative explanation of reality. Science avoids aspects that cannot be quantified in terms of equations or mathematics. An important perspective is that science subjects such as physics fail to recognize the existence of non-quantifiable aspects of the world (Hietanen et al. 2020). The second argument against scientism is that it often offers misguided truth. For instance, previous thoughts are subject to change as new information is obtained. In this sense, science provides continuous knowledge based on findings at different periods. As such, it is impossible for science to comprehend the existence of life after death, as it is yet to happen.

3. What is ultimate reality?

With regards to worldview, ultimate reality is considered as the fundamental power. For instance, Christians perceive God as the ultimate reality (Merriam-Webster, 2021). As such, God is thought to be the supreme being or the final reality.

What is the nature of the universe?

From a religious perspective, God is the ultimate cause of the universe. An important view is that the universe experiences change due to the passage of time. With the limited natural resources, earthly creatures compete to survive and reproduce.

What is a human being?

From a Christian view, human beings are perceived as products of God’s creation. On the other hand, science defines humans beings as products of evolution. The latter is based on the idea that humans have evolved to possess intellectual capacities that help them survive in different environments.

What is knowledge?

Knowledge is the acquaintance of information through experience or from learning. For instance, humans gain information about the alphabet through learning. Human beings can acquire communication skills through experience and practice.

What is your basis of ethics?

My understanding of ethics is that it entails an understanding of moral values. In this case, I believe that blood donation is morally right because it helps save people’s lives. Also, I consider stealing unethical because it deprives the victim of their hard-earned achievements.

What is the purpose of your existence?

My purpose in life is to marry and procreate. As such, my commitment is directed towards building a family and meeting their basic needs to help them survive. In addition, I focus on protecting the environment to facilitate the survival of future generations. Overall, my efforts are aligned with the guidelines provided by God in the Bible.

References

Hietanen, J., Turunen, P., Hirvonen, I., Karisto, J., Pättiniemi, I., & Saarinen, H. (2020). How Not to Criticise Scientism. Metaphilosophy, 51(4), 522-547.

Holtz, P. (2020). Does postmodernism really entail a disregard for the truth? Similarities and differences in postmodern and critical rationalist conceptualizations of truth, progress, and empirical research methods. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 2418.

Melé, D., & Fontrodona, J. (2017). Christian ethics and spirituality in leading business organizations: Editorial introduction. Journal of Business Ethics, 145(4), 671-679.

Merriam Webster, (2021). Ultimate Reality. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ultimate%20reality