The totality of existence - all matter, energy, space, and time conceived as an integrated whole. At its core, this concept points to the fundamental interconnectedness of all phenomena, where nothing exists in isolation but rather as part of an intricate web of relationships and contexts.
The term derives from the Latin universus, meaning “turned into one,” though the conceptual roots trace back to the Greek Kosmos (κόσμος), first employed philosophically by Pythagoras in the 6th century BCE. Where kosmos emphasized order and harmony - the beautiful arrangement of parts within a whole - universe encompasses both the ordered and chaotic aspects of existence. This linguistic evolution reflects humanity’s expanding understanding of reality’s scope, from the visible heavens to quantum fields and dark matter.
Modern physics reveals the universe as approximately 13.8 billion years old, yet this temporal framework exists within Consciousness that perceives it. This creates a profound paradox: the universe contains the mind that contemplates it, while that same mind constructs its understanding of the universe. The concept thus bridges ontology and epistemology, linking questions of what exists with how we know it exists.
The Perennial Philosophy approaches this totality through different vocabularies - Brahman in Vedanta, the Tao in Chinese thought, The One in Neoplatonism - each attempting to name the ultimate context within which all contexts arise. Whether understood through scientific cosmology or contemplative insight, the universe remains that which includes everything, including the awareness that seeks to comprehend it.
See also cosmology, Kosmos, multiverse, holographic principle, creation myth, Big Bang, emanation.