Most: Postmodern (8)
Least: Traditional (-9)
Postmodern worldviews
People with postmodern worldviews tend to acknowledge and value multiple perspectives on reality. They are aware that people see life very differently, and that all these different perspectives are valuable. In this view, truth is thus relative, contextual, and subjective (e.g., informed by moral, emotional, and artistic dimensions), rather than being objective as modern science claims.
The view of reality is diverse and undefined, characterized by uncertainty and ambiguity. The postmodern’s capacity to see and validate multiple perspectives can lead to an intense relativism, in which reality or truth itself is contested: because we all have a different perspective on reality, reality in itself does not exist. Frequently, these people either adhere to a liberal (interpretation of their) religion or spirituality, or display an agnostic attitude, saying that “we don’t know†whether there is a divine being, force, or reality.
As the name reveals, postmodern worldviews tend to define themselves in opposition to modernity, frequently resulting in a critical attitude towards the modern model of society (e.g., emphasis on material progress, modern science and technology, capitalism). According to this perspective, quality of life cannot be found in merely material comfort and pleasures. Instead, postmodernists often emphasize “post-material†values, like creativity, uniqueness, authenticity, imagination, feeling, and intuition.
Quality of life is also fought for in public life. This is reflected in the rise of social movements since particularly the 1960’s, which promote, among others, peace, feminism, gay rights, and the environment. There is a strong emphasis on the unique, expressive individual. Yet many of the prime concerns of postmodernists are of a social nature: the well-being of the community is important, and this community includes “other†people, different from one’s own religion, race, class, or group. Diversity, heterogeneity, pluralism, and multiculturalism are celebrated.