In its most basic sense, the word “world” describes the totality of things, to everything existing in the universe or to all reality. Differently, some conceptions describe the world as separate while others speak of a “unity of worlds”. Still, another group of persons would view the world as a mosaic of diverse aspects with each having its own significance. Most people seem to be of the opinion that the word “world” simply refers to natural, visible objects. All these notions are wrong. There are many other meanings of world that have nothing to do with visible objects.
When discussing the nature of the world, it must be kept in mind that the word earth is not used in the strict sense. It is often preceded by words like “air”, “water”, “land” and “fire”. To be more literal, it might mean the elemental bulk of this world which includes all visible matter such as air, water, solid matter like rock and diamond, and energy such as light, heat, magnetism, sound and others. The word earth also includes the under world, including the planets and stars and also the sub-atomic region. This entire world we inhabit is referred to as the “visible” world.
However, there are many places in our lives where we hardly notice the existence of another world. For example, earth is not flat because the planet tilt provides the uneven distribution of continents and other features. It is not the center of the solar system because the sun revolves around it and because it is the place where matter in the form of planets, stars, and comets gathered. Even in these examples, however, it is clear that earth is a part of several possible worlds that may be so far away that they are almost invisible.
Another example would be the moon. When we use scientific cosmology, we note that it is not the only planet in the solar system. The moon only orbits around one star system. In addition, it is not the only “plane” of the Solar System. There are many other planes that are within our solar system, and they can each be considered a world, even though they cannot be seen by the unaided human eye.
Another example is when we speak of our planet earth. Not all agree with this definition. Some believe that the earth is a world because it is the center of the universe, others think it is simply the home of humans. Some refer to it as a planet while others call it a solar system. And some even believe that it is a place where we live while others believe it is a place where all exists.
If you want to learn more about the definition of world, you should start by learning about two words that are often confused with one another. These two words are “world” and “planets”. Although there are many arguments for either word’s actual meaning, both words can be used to describe the solar system, the entire universe, and almost any other world that we may imagine. Using these two words can help us understand our place in the grand scheme of things so that we may better appreciate what we truly are.