Umwelt

Umwelt is a century-old concept introduced to ethology, the study of animal behavior, by Jakob von Uexküll. It’s the recognition that every animal exists in a unique perceptual universe that’s closed to human beings other than through inference: Much of a bee’s world is ultraviolet; a dog’s nose does a lot of what we use our eyes to accomplish. Then there are the electric fish which perceive their world through a sense we lack entirely. If every entity has it’s own umwelt, I ask myself what is the umwelt of an atom, let’s say? It might be possible that the atom does not perceive the world we call physical at all. What about the umwelt of the Internet… What is it? Maybe us… our mind???…

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Umwelt este un concept introdus in etologie acum un secol de catre Jakob von Uexcull. Este recunoasterea faptului ca fiecare animal exista intr-un univers perceptual specific care este inaccesibil omului: cea mai mare parte a lumii unei albine este ultravioleta; pentru un caine nasul indeplineste un rol la fel de important ca pentru noi ochii. Pestele electric percepe lumea printr-un simt care noua ne lipseste cu desavarsire. Daca orice entitate are umwelt-ul sau propriu, nu pot sa nu ma intreb oare care este Umwelt-ul unui atom, sa zicem? S-ar putea ca un atom sa nu perceapa deloc lumea pe care noi o numim fizica. Dar umwelt-ul Internetului (considerat ca o entitate) oare care este? Poate noi… mintea noastra???…