Sam2, I only just now saw your reply. Yes, that’s exactly how I understand Hashkafa. It’s the definition for how different sects treat various gray areas in halacha that are not confined to assur, mutar, or patur. There is not always a “correct” and “incorrect”, and sometimes some sects do things one way, while others do it a different way. Not necessarily because of halacha, but because of hashkafa. Hashkafa should not be invented by individuals, but can be applied by everybody. We can’t change our halacha to fit the times, but an adam gadol has the right to use his hashkafa to be dan in gray areas where multiple interpretations of the gedolim before him can be understood.
As a great example, the major Litvish yeshivas in the US and Israel were all started by talmidim of the same exact Yeshiva in Europe, but yet each one has a different way about going at it. Some focus more on mussar, others more on frumkite, some learn Maharals, while others stress mussar shmoozim on kochos hanefesh. Some learn bekiyus seder to cover more ground, yet others learn it slower and get more clarity. How could it be that all these roshei yeshivas and gdolei Yisrael, including Rav Hutner, Rav Pam, Rav Leibowitz, Rav Ruderman, Rav Kamenetsky, Rav Kotler, Rav Finkel, and others all have different ways of teaching talmidim if they all learned in the Slabodka under the Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel? The Terutz is that each one has his own personal tchunos which influence their personal hashkafas. It’s not a matter of right of wrong, correct or incorrect. C”V that we should say that some of them “got it wrong.” This lesson is not my own, but something I learned from a very close senior talmid of Rav Leibowitz ztz”l, and who himself is an adom gadol meod and has had a role as a Rosh Yeshiva for many years. A solid hashkafa is real and necessary, and I’m sorry if your experience with it has been negative.