IB ESS Topic 1 Test | Perspectives

Perspective

How a particular situation is viewed and understood by an individual. It is based on a mix of personal and collective assumptions, values, and beliefs.

What shapes perspective?

• Sociocultural norms

• Education

• Scientific understanding

• Laws

• Religion

• Campaigns

• Demographics

• Economic Conditions

• Local and Global events

• Lived Experience

• Indigenous Knowledge

Perspective Vs. Arguments

Arguments are made to support a personally held perspective or to counter a different one.

Values

Qualities or principles that people feel have worth and importance in life.

What do values affect?

Values affect people’s priorities, judgments, perspectives, and choices.

Broad Values

Life goals, general guiding principles, and orientations towards the world that are informed by people’s beliefs and worldviews.

Specific Values

Judgements regarding nature’s importance in particular situations. Can be grouped into instrumental, intrinsic, and relational values.

Values Indicator

Quantitative measures and qualitative descriptors that reflect nature’s importance to people. Generally grouped as biopsychological, monetary, and sociocultural.

Intrinsic Values

The value one may attach to something simply for what it is.

Instrumental value

The usefulness an entity has for humans.

Worldview

The lenses shared by groups of people through which they perceive, make sense of, and act within their environment.

Human Nature Dualism

A worldview that sees human beings as separate from nature, and views nature as a resource for human exploitation.

Animism

This worldview sees no Fundamental divide between human beings and nature.

Imperialist Worldview

The idea that there is a sacred bond between humans and their god, and that nature is separate from this.

Romantic Worldview

Nature is valuable to human beings because it is a beautiful and unlimited thing to be seen aesthetically.

Stewardship Wordlview

Humans have responsibilities towards the environment on a local and global scale, and that comes with certain privileges.

Utilitarian

Holds that the greatest good is happiness and freedom from pain and suffering. Actions with outcomes that promote the greatest good for the greatest number of humans are morally right.

Inputs

• Education

• Science 

• Culture

• Religion

• Media

Processes

• Values and Arguments

• Environmental Value System

• Interrelated premises

Outputs

• Actions

• Decisions

• Evaluations 

• Perspectives

• Viewpoints

Technocentrism

Assumes all environmental issues can be resolved through technology.

Anthropocentrism 

Views humankind as being the central, most important element of existence, and it splits into a wide variety of views. 

Ecocentrism

Sees the natural world as having pre-eminent importance and intrinsic value.