Re: mind and body

Boris Steipe (steipe@LMB.UNI-MUENCHEN.DE)
Thu, 4 Jun 1998 11:03:14 +0000

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Ricardo Ribeiro Gudwin wrote:
> > > "Umwelt" is fine - I don't know its precise meaning in German.
> >
> > Environment.
>
> I don't know if "environment", simply, gives its exact meaning. I am not
> a specialistin german, but I will prefer to translate it as "sensible
> environment".

That is not the issue. The question was for the German meaning. This is
"environment" in the broadest sense. In fact, in common usage the term has a
much more ecological connotation than simply describing a concept of
surrounding. The most frequent usage is probably "Umweltschutz" -
environmental protection.

Of course, one is perfectly free to emphasize different aspects of a meaning
in different conversational contexts. Just as the term "Gestalt" has no
holistic connotations wahtsoever in everyday spoken German but simply means
shape, or contour.

So to use "Umwelt" in von Uexkkull's sense is fine. But the "German" usage /
meaning of the word has a different emphasis.

(All of which does not really contribute to the discussion - words are just
words ... :-)

best wishes,
Boris

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