Is your worldview realistic?

Reality versus your perception

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"Reality" is the actual being of any thing; truth; fact; in distinction from mere appearance. Your worldview is your perception of reality: how you think the world works. 

These are two different things:

• Reality.
• Your perception.

Are you aware of this distinction? You should be. Because reality isn't defined by your perception or limited by it. Notwithstanding, some people unwittingly have this assumption. And if you are one of them, it follows that you are narrow-minded. And when you are "narrow-minded" or short-sighted, your vision is only accurate when the object is near: your intellectual sight is defected or limited.

You determine your perspective

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You decide which facts you:

• accept (believe), or
• reject (don't believe).

And you decide by what criteria.

The truth versus your desired appearance

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The ensuing frame of reference is your worldview. And it's your choice to either:

• align your view to reality, or
• support your preferred view in spite of reality: a desired appearance, contrary to reality.

Either the truth...

Worldview correction

Aligning your worldview to reality is simple. You must allow your view to be corrected by the truth. For this purpose, make sure that your standard of evidence is realistic.

...Or your desired appearance

Worldview validation

Willful ignorance
If you want to embrace your view in spite of truth, you embrace a lie. Notwithstanding, you can persuade yourself that your view is true. 

You can do this by:

• lowering your standard of evidence for your own view; while simultaneously
• increasing your standard of evidence for any contradiction to your view. 
  

And by doing so, you no longer recognize contrary facts to be true, because they don't satisfy the increased burden of proof. This is willful ignorance. Or tactical stupidity.

Circular reasoning
In addition, you can validate your view with supporting evidence ("cherry picking"). This will yield self assurance. However, you select this evidence by the standard you seek to validate. This is self-referential. And validating your view by your view is circular reasoning. And self deceit.

In other words...

"Worldview validation", in spite of truth, translates into "self justification" in spite of truth. This requires willful ignorance and circular reasoning: validating your view by your view. Etcetera. 

Self justification

Self justification requires willful ignorance, which is self deception.
By using your personal worldview as your private measure to confirm your worldview (self justification), you commit a form of circular reasoning (willful ignorance), which is a fallacy that gives you false assurance (self deception).

By embracing this false assurance, you are deceiving yourself. But this self deception occurs outside of your awareness. Even if you think you know, you actually don't know. Otherwise, you would not be doing it.

This however is only realized when your circular reasoning for self justification is no longer sustained. This can happen by personal choice or by personal failure, which will happen inevitably at the moment you die. 

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A hypocrite without knowing it

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If self justification is your aim, you need to be willfully ignorant to achieve it. The required willful ignorance ensues from the adjustment of your standard of evidence to justify either:

• your acceptance of desirable facts, which could require you to reduce the burden of proof (e.g. base your acceptance of a concerning fact on nothing more than your desire to accept it), or
• reject undesirable facts by increasing the burden of proof ("raising the bar").

By doing so, you are feigning to be true what in reality is not true. This is hypocrisy. And by reason of your ensuing willful ignorance, it follows that you, being a hypocrite, are not aware of your hypocrisy. For if you would acknowledge your hypocrisy, you would no longer be feigning to be true what in reality is not true. And then you would no longer be a hypocrite.

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Related definitions

From Webster's 1828 dictionary:

HYPOC'RISY, (noun). Simulation; a feigning to be what one is not; or dissimulation, a concealment of one's real character or motives. More generally, hypocrisy is simulation, or the assuming of a false appearance (...)

Simulation; deceitful appearance; false pretence.

HYP'OCRITE, (noun). One who feigns to be what he is not; (...)

A dissembler; one who assumes a false appearance.

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