World‐views as the emergent property of human value systems

Weltanschauung was first used in English by William James in the middle of the nineteenth century. It means literally ‘world-perception’ and is often substituted by the more pronounceable term world-view. It is used by systems theorists to designate a particular stance or premise about the way we conceptualize our surroundings. It significantly affects our interpretation of situations but the essence of Weltanschauung appears insufficiently explored in systems theory. This paper examines the characteristics of personal and organizational value systems. It goes on using soft systems ideas to explore the proposition that world-views are the emergent property of human value systems. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.