3.2.5 Worldviews Discussion

To what extent should contemporary society respond to the legacies of historical globalization?


As you have learned, Canada's Aboriginal people had thousands of years of history, traditions, and social development before the Europeans arrived, but the Europeans believed they were backwards and primitive. They looked at the Aboriginal people from their own
eurocentrism
the belief that the values and experiences of European society are more important than those of other cultures

These values includes the idea that "progress" includes using the natural environment for human purposes, the development of technology, gathering of wealth, and establishing political power.
eurocentric
perspective
Your point of view which is shaped by your background and experiences. Each person has his or her own perspective through which they see and understand the world around them.
perspective. They worked hard to try to
assimilation
Where an ethnic group loses its distinctiveness in terms of language and culture and becomes absorbed into a majority culture.

For example, First Nations tribes were assimilated into the dominant white European culture of Canada in imperialist times. In Canada today, visible minorities have experienced slower assimilation than in many other countries because of Canada's official government policy of multiculturalism. Immigrants often choose to assimilate in order to fit in, while groups like the Aboriginal people were forced to assimilate.
assimilate the Aboriginal people. On the other hand, the Aboriginal people sometimes thought the Europeans were lacking in skills and knowledge because they could not survive off the land. Today, society sometimes suffers from these same issues. People in one part of the world may judge others that they do not understand.

When our viewpoints colour our judgment to the point that we cannot make a fair analysis, that is a form of
bias
an outlook or viewpoint that is sometimes highly personal or shows a lack of reason in its judgment
bias. It's impossible to be completely free of bias because each has a personal point of view. As you discovered in the Unit Two Critical Challenge in the previous unit, it is sometimes challenging to find the truth about any issue and to make decisions about it.

The developed world includes North America, Australia and New Zealand, and most of Europe. These nations are industrialized and wealthy. They also hold most of the world's economic and political power although they do contain the minority of the world's population. Look at the images. Do you think these people come from the
developed country
a country with a relatively high standard of living derived through an industrialized, diversified economy

Countries with very high Human Development Index (HDI) are considered developed countries. This usually coincides with a high gross domestic product (GDP) per capita.
developed world or the
developing  country
a country with a relatively low standard of living that is less industrialized and tends to have a moderate to low rating on the United Nations Human Development Index

A developing country is less developed in terms of education, health care, literacy, and life expectancy. A strong correlation occurs between low income and high population growth. The economy is usually based on agriculture and natural resources. Most such nations are in the southern hemisphere.

In the past, these countries were considered to be part of the "Third World", but that term is not used much today.

Use with care: Some believe that the term developing country implies inferiority. As well, it also implies that the least wealthy countries of the world are all moving forward in economic growth and social development. In reality, many of the poorest nations of the world are not progressing but they are actually becoming less wealthy.
developing world? Why?

wedding couple
Source: Darek Novak
child sweeping
Source: USAID U.S. Agency for International Development
homeless man
Source: Alex Proimos

The word developed suggests a nation has fully matured or has fulfilled its potential as a nation. This term indicates that these nations are superior to other nations and are the model to which all countries should aspire in their growth. Do you think Canada has reached the ultimate level of development, or can we improve most or some aspects of our society?

The underdeveloped or developing world contains nations with lower levels of industrial development, higher levels of poverty, larger numbers of people, and less worldwide power.

Complete the two self-tests on the following pages.
After you have completed the self-tests, complete the 3.2.5 Discussion posting by answering the following questions:

  • Did anything surprise you about the images?
  • What makes one country more "developed" than another? Is it money? Technology? Peace? Good environmental standards? Or is there is such a thing as a fully developed nation?
  • Explain in a paragraph.
Your discussion posting will graded according to the discussions rubric.