Jerry Nagel

DISSERTATION TITLE:

Art of Hosting Worldview

May 2015

This dissertation develops an Art of Hosting (AoH) worldview and proposes the development of a worldview intelligence training program. The Art of Hosting Conversations that Matter offers patterns and practices for groups to use when working on issues of importance to the group. The Center Leo Apostel at the V University Brussels has developed a framework for building an integrated worldview based on six philosophical domains – ontology, explanation, futurology, axiology, praxeology, and epistemology. Relational Constructionism is a specific form of social constructionism that focuses on the practical elements of relationships. The dissertation deconstructs the AoH patterns and practices and relational constructionist theory into the six philosophical domains of a worldview offered by the Apostel framework and then recombine both into an Art of Hosting worldview.

A key conclusion of the research is that conversations that begin from the perspective of worldview exploration is a way to invite people into dialogue about issues that are often viewed as unsafe to talk about, filled with blame or guilt, hold past trauma, are adversarial, or are very personal, especially those that are about a person’s or culture’s values and beliefs. Based on the research, a worldview intelligence learning/training program is being developed for adults that can be used in either personal or professional contexts, as it applies to life, work and community. This training program focuses on three competencies for worldview intelligence and what learning programs and practices could be developed for them. The first is the individual and collective capacity to think in terms of worldviews. The second is personal worldview awareness. The third is working with differing and multiple worldviews. Additionally, the role of language in developing and defining/explaining worldviews is an area for further research.