What's Your Worldview?

“What's Your Worldview? An Interactive Approach to Life's Big Questions”

by James N. Anderson

I've always enjoyed learning about different worldviews and how they compare to one another. James Anderson's little paperback, “What's Your Worldview? An Interactive Approach to Life's Big Questions” is going to be a handy resource for my (small-but-growing) library.

Written similarly to a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, Anderson begins his worldview adventure answering a few questions: What is a worldview? Why does my worldview matter? What or who has shaped my worldview?

You need to know upfront that this is not a page by page, read-from-front-to-back kind of book. Because of the style the author has chosen (the “CYOA” way), the order in which you read each page depends on how you answer each yes or no question. For instance, Part 1 begins with “The Truth Question”: Is there any objective truth? He expounds a bit on the question, and then you're off to either page 22 or page 91, depending on your answer.

As you work your way through each question, your answers will eventually lead you to what is identified as your worldview, which is only briefly summarized (after all, this is only a hundred-page book!). Once at the end of your “adventure”, if you have any doubts about the end result, or want to reconsider any points along the way, (or reconsider your worldview!), he directs you back to specific questions and page numbers for you to ponder again.

As confusing as all this may sound, the book is structured in such a way which allows for easy accessibility for a time when all you want to do is flip through and simply read his summary on the five main worldviews and their sub-categories.

I have found this book to be very helpful when I want a quick review on, say, what pantheism is, or how Hinduism differ from Buddhisms. In fact, I would have loved to have had this book in my travel bag while engaged in a lively discussion on religions with a fellow passenger one five-hour flight.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for this review. These opinions are my own and I was not compelled to write a positive review.