In the book, Worldview: Cross cultural Explorations of Human Beliefs (1995), author Ninian Smart attempts to introduce readers to the major components behind the modern study of religion. Smart defines the modern study of religion as the study of, "systems of belief that, through symbols and actions, mobilize feelings and wills of human beings" (Smart, 1995, 1). He hypothesizes that the study of religion will illuminate the themes and patterns which define both social continuity and change. Further, the study of religion involves aspects of other disciplines; such as psychology, history, anthropology, sociology, linguistics, economics, symbolism, and political science, mixed into a cultural grab bag of ideologies which Smart labels as "Worldviews" (Smart, 1995, 2-3). Smart argues that "the heart of the modern study of religion is the analysis and comparison of worldviews" (Smart, 1995, 3). Ninian Smart also compares various worldviews by using six dimensions he believes are found in all religions; these are doctrine, mythic, ethic, ritual, experiential, and social.
Ninian Smart begins the book, Worldviews, by looking at the historical evolution of some of the world's major worldviews such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism, as well as more secular worldviews such as the growth of nationalism. In chapter two Smart divides the world into seven "blocks" or regions where particular worldviews are dominant. For example, the modern West is dominated by Christianity and encompasses most of North America and Europe, while the Islamic Crescent consists of the Muslim world, centered in what we call the Middle East (Smart, 1995, 35).
As an eighth block, Smart discusses the rise of nationalism which he states has become a dominant ideology throughout the world (since the entire planet is covered by nation states) (Smart, 1995, 44). In a fascinating analysis, Smart strongly implies that nationalism has become something...