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Year 7

R M Hare: worldviews in modern philosophy

I can explain R M Hare's concept of 'blik' and describe how different worldviews shape the way people interpret the world around them.

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New
New
Year 7

R M Hare: worldviews in modern philosophy

I can explain R M Hare's concept of 'blik' and describe how different worldviews shape the way people interpret the world around them.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Antony Flew argued that religious beliefs are meaningless as they do not change in the face of evidence,
  2. A blik is a person's fundamental way of seeing and understanding the world and it doesn't change easily.
  3. Everyone has their own worldview which shapes how they understand and interpret things around them.
  4. R M Hare introduced the idea of a blik to explain why people have different interpretations of the same situation.
  5. Religious beliefs can be seen as part of someone's blik, meaning they strongly influence their view of the world.

Keywords

  • Belief - an acceptance that something is true without the need for proof

  • Blik - a person's fundamental worldview that shapes how they see the world and live their life

  • Evidence - facts or information that support an idea

  • R M Hare - a 20th century philosopher best known for his work on ethics and bliks

Common misconception

Students might think a blik is a belief or opinion that can be easily changed with evidence.

A blik is a fundamental worldview that is unchanged by evidence or facts.

Be aware of the language of the parable. Hare refers to the main character as a 'lunatic'. It is important to note this is no longer an acceptable term, and that it should not be understood to suggest that anyone who is religious is a lunatic.
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Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a worldview?
a set of beliefs about how to live a good life
Correct answer: a person's way of experiencing, understanding and responding to the world
a collection of facts and information about the world
a set of religious beliefs and practices
Q2.
What do we mean by belief?
a fact that can be proven true or false
a strong opinion about something
Correct answer: an acceptance that something is true without the need for proof
a statement that is always unbiased
Q3.
Evidence is used to provide for a claim or argument.
Correct Answer: proof, Proof
Q4.
Which of the following is an example of a Socratic question?
Have you ever lied?
Correct answer: Is lying always wrong?
What does religion say about lying?
What is the punishment for lying?
Q5.
Plato believed that true knowledge comes from understanding the world of the ...
Correct Answer: forms
Q6.
Which worldview did Aristotle have?
Correct answer: We can know things by observing the world around us.
Knowledge comes from thinking about idea forms beyond the world we live in.
Reality is unknowable.
Knowledge can only be gained through questioning and dialogue.

6 Questions

Q1.
In the parable told by Antony Flew, what do the explorers disagree about the existence of?
Correct Answer: A gardener, A Gardener, gardener, Gardener
Q2.
Match the statement to the person who might say it.
Correct Answer:the believer,There must be a gardener because this clearing looks well-kept.

There must be a gardener because this clearing looks well-kept.

Correct Answer:the sceptic,I don't see any evidence of a gardener, so I don't think there is one.

I don't see any evidence of a gardener, so I don't think there is one.

Q3.
What does Antony Flew argue about religious worldviews?
Correct answer: They only matter if they can be tested and shown to be false.
They matter because they are personal choices.
They matter because there is evidence to prove them.
They matter because they are based on feelings.
Q4.
How does R M Hare agree with Flew?
Thinks that religious statements are meaningless.
Thinks that there is no God.
Correct answer: Thinks religious believers do not usually accept evidence against their beliefs.
Thinks that religious beliefs matter to people.
Q5.
The term R M Hare uses to describe someone's fundamental worldview that shapes how they live their life is a ...
Correct Answer: blik, Blik
Q6.
In R M Hare's story, even when the man meets friendly university professors (dons), he is still afraid of them. Why might this belief still have meaning?
The man can prove that his belief is true.
Correct answer: The man's belief affects how he behaves.
The man is prepared to change his mind.
The man accepts the evidence presented to him.

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