World

In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique while others talk of a "plurality of worlds". Some treat the world as one simple object while others analyze the world as a complex made up of many parts. In scientific cosmology the world or universe is commonly defined as "[t]he totality of all space and time; all that is, has been, and will be". Theories of modality, on the other hand, talk of possible worlds as complete and consistent ways how things could have been. Phenomenology, starting from the horizon of co-given objects present in the periphery of every experience, defines the world as the biggest horizon or the "horizon of all horizons". In philosophy of mind, the world is commonly contrasted with the mind as that which is represented by the mind.

Read more in the app

Inside world's ultimate X-ray machine before it becomes more powerful

World's Deepest Gas Hydrate Discovered Teeming With Life Off Greenland

The World Is Sleeping on Bird Flu, Expert Warns

The World's Smallest Programmable Robot Can Barely Be Seen

Feral Dogs on the Roof of the World

The world’s first fully 3D-printed microscope blew up in 2025

The world’s first fully 3D-printed microscope went big in 2025

How changing your diet could help save the world - EurekAlert!

Fighting highway subgrade settlement on the roof of the world - EurekAlert!

Scientists create the world’s smallest autonomous microrobots that can sense, decide, and act

Some of the World’s Atomic Clocks Were Off Last Week (by 5-Millionths of a Second)

Smile and the world will trust you: How mimicry shapes first impressions - EurekAlert!

HKUST launches world's first deep-sea multi-omics resource platform empowering global research into biological adaptation in extreme environments - EurekAlert!

A Tiny Power Module Could Help Solve the World’s Growing Energy Crisis

Aussie scientists warn of 'catastrophe' after discovery at bottom of ocean: Researchers have investigated a dense type of water in remote Antarctica that impacts weather around the world

In Photos: December’s Solstice Marked Around The World

Scientists Uncover Two Colossal Structures Beneath Africa—and They May Not Be from This World: According to scientists, these two giant underground structures could be the remains of an ancient planet

If I Stop the World, Will I Melt with You?

Here’s How Much Practice You Need to Become the Best in the World

When will glaciers vanish from the Alps? Scientists have a new estimate: The research reveals a sharp turning point approaching within this century – one that could permanently reshape mountain regions around the world