World history is the study of the ways in which the world changes over time. World History is a social science that looks at the interactions among the many political, economic and social territories of the world. When studying World History it is necessary to look well beyond a single notion and find the true origins of where a given event actually started and what other systems that the event has had an effect on. .
Christopher Columbus did not only decide to search for the New World in order to gain new territory for Spain. Columbus was looking for another shipping route to reach eastern Asia. He happened to run into the New World, being the Americas, and initially believed he was reaching Asia. When studying World History it must be taken into account why Columbus was looking for another route to eastern Asia and what the trade situation was throughout the rest of the world, including Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. .
The most important aspect of World History is the examination of the interactions the civilized societies of the planet. When studying these civilized societies in a world perspective, it can become apparent that being civilized means that one society will interact with another to gain what they need in food supplies, tools and knowledge. It was discussed in lecture that the Abbasid Caliphate, the most developed cosmopolitan society from 750 through 1258, held all of its books of knowledge in the Dar al-Hikma. As this society began interacting with the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean regions they collected texts from Greece and Africa. They brought these texts back to the Dar al-Hikma, or House of Knowledge, and started to incorporate these newfound sciences into their own practices. This is wonderful example of how the texts of Greece and the African regions must be understood in order to fully comprehend the developed sciences and ideals of the Abbasid Caliphate during their cosmopolitan era.
