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Umwelt ethics
Umwelt ethics

Author(s): Morten Tønnessen
Subject(s): Semiotics / Semiology
Published by: Tartu Ülikooli Kirjastus

Summary/Abstract: In this paper I will sketch an Umwelt ethics, i.e., an ethics that rests heavily on fundamental features of Jakob von Uexküll’s Umwelt theory. In the course of an interpretation of the Umwelt theory, a number of concepts are introduced. These include ontological niche, common-Umwelt, total Umwelt and bio-ontological monad. I then present an Uexküllian reading of the deep ecology platform. It is suggested that loss of biodiversity, considered as a physio-phenomenal entity, is the most crucial aspect of the ecological crisis, which can be understood as an ontological crisis.

  • Issue Year: 31/2003
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 281-299
  • Page Count: 19
  • Language: English