So What is an Umwelt?

First of all, think of what it means to be a human being in the world.
We find ourselves in three sitautions simultaneously -- in time and space as a physical entity, in an environment as an organism, and in an umwelt as a living being.
Take me -- first of all I am a physical thing that obeys the laws of chemistry and physics.
I had a bicycle wreck on 1 October 2007. I landed on my hands with a certain amount of energy. I ended up about 15 feet from my bicycle. Given my speed, my mass, and my path, my final "resting place" so to speak could have been calculated.
Second of all -- I am an organism in an environment. There were literally billions and billions of other organisms sharing that environment with me on that early afternoon. The temperature, barometric pressure, gravity, and the like were the same for all of us. Fortunately for me, the environment was very benign that day for us humans. As an organism, I suffered biological consequences from my accident. My left wrist was fractured ( I am left-handed) and it is now in a restraining splint. The volar plate ligament of my right ring finger was torn, leaving that finger hyperextended and incapable of movement. I also suffered a compound dislocation of my right pinkie. The bone dislocated at the second joint, and the force of the blow turned the bone 45 degrees and forced it through the skin. As a result, these two fingers were put in a hard splint and immobilized. The dislocated bone was put back into place, and stitches were used to close the skin wound. Currently, the fingers are wrapped and tied together with two buddy straps.
Finally, I am a living and acting being an an umwelt. I am painfully aware of the myriad tasks that we call upon our fingers to do, now that I cannot do them so well. I can finally type, but slowly and a bit painfully. Messages will be short for awhile until things improve.

So what is an Umwelt? It is the 'within" world where we live and act. Some theorists say we each have our own Umwelts. I think this is somewhat true, but I also think we also live in interating and intersecting Umwelts. It is true we share environments, but that sharing is much more objective. Umwelt sharing is more personal, but also more communal and public.

More later. Time to take some Advil and rest the fingers :-)

gary