The world can be sub-categorised into two categories- physical and theoretical. Of course, many physical explanations of the world are purely theoretical, but are classed as physical because they attempt to explain the world in terms of maths and laws. The most basic conception of the world is that we know Earth is a planet orbiting a sun in the Solar System. However, this system is only at the extreme tip of a galaxy known as the Milky Way. Our nearest star, the Sun, is 150,000,000km away, and the next nearest star is 398,100,000,000,00km away. Our world, then, is practically insignificant compared to the whole of the universe. We seek to lay order to the huge distances of the universe, and so physics provides a major contribution to the knowledge of our world. Physics can be used to describe everything from how far a ball will travel when kicked and answers questions directly relating to the nature of matter. In this sense, the world can be defined as the world which we can explain, for instance until the electron was discovered by JJ Thompson in 1897 it was impossible for scientists to explain electricity. The knowledge that electricity was caused by the movement of electrons led to many advances- for instance the light bulb and the computer. Much greater understanding of the atom came in the early twentieth century. Ernest Rutherford discovered the proton and neutron in 1911, describing the atom ‘as a miniature solar system, consisting of the nucleus surrounded by orbiting electrons’. It is somewhat ironic that the structure of atoms is highly similar to the model of planets orbiting the sun that we are so familiar with. Perhaps the most famous equation of all, e=mc 2 , the equation that was regarded as the groundbreaking work making quantum physics possible is a prime example of how our experience of the world changes in a matter of years. Over the last fifteen years, e=mc 2, has started to be regarded with increasing dislike, as it leaves many gaps that cannot be answered either with classical or quantum physics. The current goal of many physicists is to produce a ‘grand unified equation’ that links all forces of the universe together, giving the definitive mathematical model of how the universe works.

However, the physical model of our world is not confined to physics. One theory of the explanation of ‘the world’ is our ability to experience our surroundings. For instance, compare a very elderly person who cannot leave their home, and a young person who can travel around the globe. In this case, the limits of the house are the limits of the world for the old person, but for the younger person their experience of the world is travelling around the continents having many different experiences. Therefore, the world can exist as physical boundaries, such as walls or countries. On the other hand, many other disciplines attempt to define the world. Religion is a major example of this. The main religions- Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism all seek to explain how the world came into being. Christians and Muslims believe that the world was created by God, or Allah (creationism). Hindus and Buddhists believe that the world has always existed, and will continue to do so (infinitism), with the concept of rebirth being prominent in both religions. Religion also seeks to lay out a set of rules that define how a person lives, for instance in Christianity, the teachings of Jesus and the Ten Commandments. In this way a person’s world could be defined as the set of beliefs in which they believe. A Christian believes that Jesus was the son of God, whereas a Muslim believes that he was simply a prophet. Religion and politics are often linked- for instance in a country such as the USA, Christianity directly influences the policy of the government, and in Saudi Arabia a totally Islamic government intervenes directly into peoples lives, enforcing traditional Islamic values such as the illegalisation of selling and drinking alcohol. The work of Friedrich Engels, a socialist thinker in the nineteenth century recognises that the link between religion and a democratic government negates any advantage gained by universal suffrage and freedom of speech- all the values associated with a democratic society. He proposed a system of ‘scientific socialism’ whereby all decisions made the government are taken on purely scientific reasons. The weakness of this system is that sometimes people want to be directed and controlled by religious rather than scientific values.

In addition to religious values the world may determined by moral values. Moral values are closely related to philosophy, which aims to answer questions such as ‘Is the world entirely physical in its composition and processes?’ It differs from science and religion in the sense that it draws it conclusions from entirely intellectual reasoning, rather than from absolute proof by experiment, and allows no role for faith or revelation. Philosophy is a method of attempting to describe the world in which we know we cannot answer with science or religion. Morals can attempt to answer questions such as ‘is abortion acceptable?’ and ‘is euthanasia a humane answer to end suffering or murder?’ A person can be an atheist, yet still have a world defined by moral values- for instance a vegan may consider it morally unacceptable to kill a cow to eat. This is similar to Islam and Judaism, who only eat some kinds of meat if it is either ‘halal’ (Muslim) or ‘kosher’ (Jewish).

A world then can be defined by science, restrained by religion and its meaning understood by philosophy, but ultimately, experienced.