For instance, in scientific cosmology, the world is defined as the totality of all space and time. Theories of modality discuss possible worlds as complete and consistent ways things could have been. Phenomenology defines the world as the largest horizon or the "horizon of all horizons," based on the co-given objects present in the periphery of every experience.
In theology, the world is conceptualized in relation to God, such as God's creation or as being interdependent with God. Religions tend to prioritize a spiritual world over the material or sensory world. A comprehensive representation of the world and our place in it, found in religions, is known as a worldview. Cosmogony studies the origin or creation of the world, while eschatology pertains to the science or doctrine of the last things or the end of the world.
The term "world" may also have a more restricted meaning in certain contexts, such as being associated with the Earth and all life on it, with humanity as a whole, or with an international or intercontinental scope. For instance, world history refers to the history of humanity as a whole, and world politics studies issues that transcend nations and continents. Other examples include terms like "world religion," "world language," "world government," "world war," "world population," "world economy," or "world championship."