Chapter 1: From Cellular to Human Worlds

Every organism occupies its own particular world (Umwelt), which is a selection and construction of the world as a whole (Natur). Understanding the unique characteristics of different organisms’ Umwelten—how different organisms construct their world—was the hallmark of Jacob von Uexküll research program in biology. The concept of Umwelt was variously described by him as a “subjective universe,” “phenomenal world,” or “self world.” Von Uexküll (1992, p. 319) has us imagine a kind of “soap bubble,” a Liebnizian monad, surrounding every organism in their interactions with Natur. The principle guiding each organism determines what properties of Natur will be deemed meaningful, that is which will be refracted to them through their soap bubble. To reconstruct an organism’s Umwelt within our own is to get at the principle guiding its life-course.