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NotesESSTopic 1.1Worldviews
Back to ESS Topics
1.1.63 min read

Worldviews

IB Environmental Systems and Societies • Unit 1

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Contents

  • What a worldview is
  • Culture, religion and philosophy
  • Ideology and politics
  • From worldview to action
  • A world of worldviews
  • Exam-style question
One river, two ways of seeing it: Upstream on the River Mell, farmers see water to pump onto crops. Downstream, a village sees a sacred river that must not be harmed.

Each group looks through its own worldview: a shared lens that decides what they notice, what it means to them, and what they do about it.

Perspective

  • A view on one issue.
  • "The dam should not be built."

Worldview

  • The lens behind many views.
  • "Rivers are sacred and belong to everyone."

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Worldviews come from five sources. Here are the first three, on the River Mell.

Culture

  • Shared customs and stories.
  • The village holds a festival for the river every spring.

Religion

  • Beliefs about what is sacred.
  • The river is holy, so polluting it is wrong.

Philosophy

  • Ideas about what matters.
  • "Leave the land as good as you found it."
Shared, not personal: A worldview belongs to a group. The whole village learns it, not one person.

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The last two sources are about how society should be run.

Ideology

  • A set of ideas about how society and money should work.
  • The farmers' co-op believes growth and trade lift everyone.

Politics

  • Who has power and who decides.
  • The farmers have seats on the water board; the village does not.

The five sources

  • Culture
  • Religion
  • Philosophy
  • Ideology
  • Politics

A worldview works like a chain. Each link shapes the next.

Worldview

  • The river is sacred

Values

  • Clean water matters more than bigger harvests

Perspective

  • Against the new pumps

Action

  • The village petitions the water board

Upstream, the same chain runs the other way.

Worldview

  • The river is a resource to use

Values

  • Harvests and income come first

Perspective

  • For the new pumps

Action

  • The co-op funds the pumps

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A teenager in the village now also follows climate activists, farming influencers and faith leaders online.

A mix, not one label: The internet and social media show people far more worldviews than their own community's. So most people hold a mix of views.

Labels are useful

  • They sort views into groups.
  • They help compare two sides.

Labels are rough

  • Real people mix views.
  • Views shift with the issue.
How this comes up: A Paper 2 part (a) [4]: outline why two cultures see the environment differently.
IB-style questionOutline[4 marks]

Outline how worldviews can lead two communities to hold different values about the same river.

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two influences that can shape worldviews. [2 marks]

Key Terms

Animism
A worldview that sees humans and nature as closely connected, and parts of nature as spiritually alive.
Behaviour over time graph
A graph that shows how something changes over time.
Campaigns
Planned efforts by groups or governments to change people's behaviour or opinions.
Confirmation bias
When people mostly notice information that agrees with what they already think and ignore other information.
Cultural influences
Beliefs, traditions, and habits shared by a group that shape how people see the world.
Demographics
Facts about a population, such as age or gender, used to study patterns.
Economic conditions
How rich or poor people or countries are, which affects how they prioritise the environment.
Environmental decision-making
The choices people or groups make about how to use or protect the environment.
Global events
Big events like pandemics or climate summits that change how people see issues.
Human–nature dualism
A worldview that sees humans as separate from nature and able to use it as a resource.
Humans as part of nature
A worldview that sees humans as one part of ecosystems and dependent on a healthy environment.
Imperialist worldview
A worldview that sees humans as above nature and free to control and use it.
Instrumental value
The idea that nature is important because it provides useful things or services for humans.
Intrinsic value
The idea that nature is important simply because it exists, not because humans use it.
Laws
Official rules made by governments that guide how people act.
Lived experience
Personal experiences, such as living through a wildfire, that shape someone's views.
Local events
Nearby events like storms or protests that can change how people think.
Perspective
A viewpoint about one specific issue, based on a person's experiences, values, and beliefs.
Religion
Beliefs and practices that shape values, behaviour, and views about the environment.
Romantic worldview
A worldview that sees nature as beautiful and special, with strong emotional value.
Scientific understandings
What people know from scientific research and evidence about how the world works.
Sociocultural norms
Unwritten rules and expectations in a community about how people should behave.
Stewardship worldview
A worldview that says humans have a duty to look after the environment carefully.
Utilitarian worldview
A worldview that judges nature by how much it helps the greatest number of people.
Worldview
A broad way of understanding the world that shapes how people think and act.

Related ESS Topics

Continue learning with these related topics from the same unit:

1.1.1Perspectives
1.1.2What shapes a perspective
1.1.3Values
1.1.4Where values show
View all ESS topics

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1.1.5Values surveys
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