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Postmodernism
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Christianity
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Epistemology
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Concrete Experience
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General and Special Revelation
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World Views
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No one set of presuppositions (world view) should govern belief, because there are many possible sets of presuppositions
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Although several world views exist, it does not follow that all of them are of equal value.
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Truth/Knowledge
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All truth claims are questioned; ambiguity and pluralism are not only tolerated but preferred; we can never get closer to the real truth about things.
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Some things are knowable or true even if our knowledge of them is incomplete; true truth is available via God's revelation about Himself, mankind, and the world.
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Reality
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It is a fluid, unfolding process, an "open universe," continually affected and molded by one's actions and beliefs, a possibility rather than a fact; reality is created by the human mind, thus many constructs are possible.
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Reality is a creation of God; it had a beginning and is headed towards a final end; it is an "open system" in the sense that God acts supernaturally as He sees fit; only one reality exists.
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Understanding
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All human understanding is interpretation and no interpretation is final.
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Understanding is greatly affected by rules of interpretation, but only one interpretation is correct.
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Language
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All human thought is ultimately generated and bound by human language; it is dependent on the language and social practices of local communities; language has no "ever-closer" relationship to an independent reality; language is a "cage."
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True communication is possible because the Creator of the universe created language as well; our ability to get closer to what is really real is based upon our image-bearing capacity and God's personhood.
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Mankind
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The fate of human consciousness is that of a self-aware creature, never sure of the nature of reality or truth.
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Human consciousness is capable of discerning what is true once spiritual blindness is removed by the Holy Spirit.
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Source: Richard Tarnas,