Synthetic Worldview Reconstruction (SWR): A Methodological Framework for LLM-Assisted Group-Level Belief System Analysis

Abstract (English) This work presents Synthetic Worldview Reconstruction (SWR), a method for reconstructing the collective belief systems of sociologically defined groups using large language models. SWR formulates worldview analysis as an inverse problem: given the aggregated public statements and documented actions of a group, reconstruct the latent belief system that most coherently generates these outputs. The method constructs a fictive synthetic person — a Weberian ideal type — whose worldview represents the group's collective beliefs in distilled form. A belief system encompasses three domains from near to far: self-image, view of humanity, and worldview (cf. Construal Level Theory; Trope & Liberman, 2010). SWR was developed and empirically validated in a large-scale application study (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18736737) and is presented here as a generalized, transferable framework with a step-by-step application guide. Zusammenfassung (Deutsch) Diese Arbeit stellt die Synthetische Weltbild-Rekonstruktion (SWR) vor — eine Methode zur Rekonstruktion kollektiver Überzeugungssysteme soziologisch definierter Gruppen mittels großer Sprachmodelle. SWR formuliert Weltbildanalyse als inverses Problem: Gegeben sind die aggregierten öffentlichen Aussagen und dokumentierten Handlungen einer Gruppe, gesucht ist das latente Überzeugungssystem, das diese Outputs am kohärentesten erzeugt. Die Methode konstruiert eine fiktive synthetische Person — einen Weberschen Idealtyp —, deren Weltbild die kollektiven Überzeugungen der Gruppe in destillierter Form repräsentiert. Ein Überzeugungssystem umfasst drei Domänen von nah bis fern: Selbstbild, Menschenbild und Weltbild (vgl. Construal Level Theory; Trope & Liberman, 2010). SWR wurde in einer großangelegten Anwendungsstudie (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18736737) entwickelt und validiert und wird hier als verallgemeinertes, übertragbares Rahmenwerk mit Schritt-für-Schritt-Anwendungsleitfaden vorgestellt. CHANGELOG Changes in 6.0 (Complete Rewrite) Complete rewrite: Paper B was rewritten from the ground up to resolve inconsistencies that had developed between the method paper and the companion application study (Paper A v7.0), and to address methodological divergences that had accumulated across earlier revision cycles. Streamlined from 32 to 21 pages (EN) / 22 pages (DE): Removed overengineered variable architecture and unexecuted operationalizations. Retained only what was actually implemented and validated. New Application Guide (Section 4): Step-by-step instructions including transfer sketch (climate scientists example), cost estimates, and common pitfalls. Tiered Acceptance Criteria: Tier 1 (instrument calibration — required) vs. Tier 2 (model independence — desirable for replication). Coherence bias expanded: RLHF mechanism, autoregressive tendency, premature closure, metacognitive insufficiency — with control mechanisms and honest framing as instrument property. Circularity risk section: Same-model synthesis+validation discussed with instance separation as key mitigator. Reliability vs. validity distinction: IMIIRR explicitly framed as reliability, not validity. External expert validation as outstanding desideratum. Belief system terminology clarified: Three domains (self-image → view of humanity → worldview), anchored in Construal Level Theory (Trope & Liberman, 2010). Structural validation (PCA+HDBSCAN): Added to quality assurance table. 7 additional references: Bourdieu (doxa), Gadamer (hermeneutics), Berger & Luckmann (social construction), Kommers et al. (computational hermeneutics), Hornby (Gadamer after ChatGPT), Wang et al. (LLM thematic analysis), Barros et al. (LLM qualitative mapping). Total: 25 references. All numbers verified: 100% consistency with Paper A v7.0. Multi-round review cycle completed. Changes in 5.0 (Consistency Patch) Aligned with Paper A v7.0. IMIIRR introduced. Instance separation established. Cross-modal corrected (88%→72%). Narrative corrected. Changes in 4.0 Paradigm shift to group-level analysis. Self-contained methodology. Weber as primary anchor.