We explain what the environment is, what factors make it up and what types exist. In addition, we tell you how it differs from the context.
What is the environment?
An environment is, generally speaking, the environment or space that surrounds a person, thing or organization, of which it is a part, and in which it operates or carries out its ordinary operations. It is a word made up of Latin voices in (“in”) and tornus (“turn” or “turn”), that is, it can be understood as everything that is found in a circular space around something or someone who is in the center.
The term “environment” can be used in numerous contexts, ranging from mathematics and biology to business administration, but in all cases with the same meaning. Thus, for example, when talking about natural environment Of an animal species, we speak of its habitat or natural location, in which its individuals normally develop.
One can also talk about social environment (the people and places that an individual frequents), cultural environment (the majority culture and thought in a given society), citizen environment (the urban space in which citizens live), business environment (the set of conditions and factors necessary for the business exercise), among many other possible examples. In the field of mathematics and topography, similarly, the environment is defined as the set that contains a point and a set of points that are close to it.
Environment types
Given that one can speak of environment in very different contexts, a first classification of environments would have to distinguish between the topic to which the use of this concept refers. However, a general list of environment types by subject would be practically endless. On the other hand, a classification of environments according to their fundamental nature differentiates between two categories:
- General or global environments. Those that cover the greatest number of elements or individuals, and that may contain other different and smaller circuits or environments.
- Individual or particular environments. Those that cover a single type of elements or individuals, and that can be part of larger environments.
Environmental factors
The factors of an environment are those elements or sets of elements that are decisive for the whole, and that therefore must be taken into account when studying or observing the environment. These factors can be classified into:
- Political factors and legalwhich have to do with human organization and the legal system that prevails in a specific region or community.
- Economic factorslinked to the productive activities of society and/or with the availability of usable resources.
- Sociocultural factorswhich have to do with culture, society and people's way of thinking and relating.
- Technological factorslinked to technology and science.
- Ecological or environmental factorswhich have to do with the preservation of environmental balance and ecology, that is, with the preservation of the ecosystem.
Difference between environment and context
In many ways, the terms environment and context can be used synonymously. In others, however, they are differentiated based on their permanence, since in general Environments are considered as a set of fixed, continuous conditions and elements, while contexts are the set of specific circumstances determined by time and place.or they are a specific way of conceiving the environment, considering it or evaluating it.
For example, a person grows up in a specific environment, determined by the society and culture to which he or she belongs, but within said environment there can be very different and specific contexts: the family context, the university context, the political context, among others. .
References
- “Environment” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Information about Environment” in the Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
- “Environment (mathematics)” on Wikipedia.
- “Environment” in Wolkers Kluwer Legal Guides.
