Year 10 - Religious education
Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic: worldviews and context
Worldviews: how do I see the world and does everyone see the same way?
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils will consider how worldviews are highly contextual and that western worldviews look very different to others. They will consider how worldviews may be blended or change over time. They will reflect on how we live and respond to worldviews we may not agree with in todays society.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to understand the term WEIRD to describe some worldviews and explain how worldviews vary according to context.
Key Notes
- Joseph Henrich is an anthropologist who studies psychological differences between cultures around the world.
- Henrich describes much of western culture as WEIRD: western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic.
- The WEIRD concept can be useful to compare worldviews and understand why they vary according to context.
- We can reflect on how our own worldview is influenced by the ideas of being WEIRD.
Vocabulary To Learn
- kinship: the system of family‑based relationships and obligations that connect people across generations and households
- perspective: an individual or cultural way of seeing and understanding things
- WEIRD: Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic; suggested by Joseph Henrich to describe common Western ways of thinking
- worldview: a person's way of understanding, experiencing and responding to the world
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- WEIRD worldviews are the 'normal' or default way of thinking.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Joseph Henrich is an anthropologist who studies psychological differences between cultures around the world. Henrich describes much of western culture as WEIRD: western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'kinship'
the system of family‑based relationships and obligations that connect people across generations and households.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: WEIRD worldviews are the 'normal' or default way of thinking. Correction: WEIRD perspectives are actually a minority globally, even though they are very common in Western societies. Most of the world's population lives in non-WEIRD cultures, so assuming WEIRD ways of thinking are "normal" is misleading.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 10 Religious education guide library.