ABSTRACT
Our most fundamental mode of interaction with the world is that of the relationship between our physical body and the natural environment. This dimension of our existence is classically referred to in the literature as the Umwelt, or world around us, a concept introduced by the biologist Von Üexkull to describe the different environmental life worlds of the different species (Spiegelberg 1984). If you look at the room you are sitting in right now, you can imagine how it would be variously experienced by different animals in it. A fly, seeking a window to escape, would be attracted to height and light, a dog, looking for a cosy corner to curl up in, would look for protective angles and reassuring smells, a bird might look for a safe high place to perch, a person with a particular piece of business to conduct would probably focus more on the objects in the room: desk, books, lamp, pen for instance. In effect, the same location would represent entirely different subjective worlds depending on the particular relationship between the creature and the environment.
