We explain how internal and external differ and their meaning when referring to the human body, a country or a company.
How are internal and external different?
The terms internal and external refer to that which is inside something and that which is on the outside, respectively. That is, an internal element or process is one that is or occurs within some type of structure that contains it, while an external element or process is one that takes place outside the aforementioned structure.
For example, the internal components of the hardware of a computer are those that are inside its CPU, while its external components are those that are outside the CPU. In general, the internal elements are hidden from view, forming part of something; while the external elements are visible, outside the set.
Both “internal” and “external” are words that come from Latin and the union of three voices: the suffix –ter (denoting contrast), the suffix -nus (denoting belonging) and a changing prefix that can be in- (“inside”) or ex- (“outside”).
So, internal and externus They were the original words of Latin and had the same meaning as today: that which belongs to the inside and that which belongs to the outside. Other terms used to talk about this are “interior” (everything that belongs to the inside) and “exterior” (everything that belongs to the outside).
See also: Objective and subjective
The internal and external of the human body
The human body, like that of all living beings, is a biochemical environment that is clearly and firmly differentiated from its environment, that is, it has obvious limits about where it begins and where it ends.
- Everything that is inside and hidden from view is internal.Therefore, it is inside our body.
- Everything that is on the surface is external.it is visible to the naked eye and is outside.
This distinction is used when talking, for example, about internal organs: those that are normally inside our body, such as the viscera, lungs, heart, liver, among many others. On the other hand, the skin and eyes are external organs, which are located in the outer layers of the body, in contact with the outside.
Another example of this is the genitals, which in our species can be of two types: external, like the male ones, which are exposed to sight and in contact with the environment; and internal, like the feminine ones, which are inside the womb and hidden from view.
The same can be said of fluids: those that circulate within our body and whose loss or spill represents a risk to health are internal fluids, such as blood or cerebrospinal fluid; while external fluids are those that are in contact with the environment or directed outwards, such as sweat or urine.
The internal and external in a country
Countries and nations, in general States, operate as a semi-open system that has continuous contacts with the outside, but that tries, at the same time, to regulate, order and control the exchange between what enters and what leaves it. The inside and the outside, in this case, is clearly delimited by imaginary geographical limits that we know as borders. and that distinguish the area of influence of one national political power from the area of influence of another, so that they do not overlap and peace exists between them.
So, The internal elements and processes of a country are those that result from its sole and exclusive competence.that is, they respond to the norms, laws, authorities and national interests, typical of the people who live in that region and who are represented by the State. In fact, many laws identify a Ministry of the Interior (usually “Interior and Justice”) or Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is responsible for addressing matters related to national life.
On the other hand, the Foreign Ministries or Foreign Affairs, also known as chancelleries, are those that deal with a country's relations with others, whether they are its neighbors, its rivals or its trading partners. Foreign affairs are, therefore, international affairs (matters between nations) that do not respond to the laws of just one of said States, but to the global or regional laws that countries establish to regulate their exchanges in peace, that is, to the international law.
Another very common use of this distinction between internal and external has to do with trade and the indebtedness of countries. Internal trade is the dynamic of exchange of goods and services that takes place within the countryin the same way that the internal debt or internal debt is that which the State contracts with private national entities.
On the contrary, Foreign trade refers to a similar exchange dynamic, but that occurs between two or more countriesthrough export and import; and foreign debt is, precisely, that which a State contracts with others that lend it money or with certain international financing and credit institutions, such as the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund.
The internal and external in companies
In the business world, internal and external are concepts that delimit the areas of competence of the organizationin a very similar way to any other organized and structured system. But since companies do not have a clearly delimitable border, Its interior is constituted from the notion of private propertythat is, what is part of your heritage.
So, for example, The different coordinations or operational instances of the company make up its internal organizational structureand the processes of information exchange between them are, therefore, called internal communications. In this they are distinguished from external communications, directed at the company's clients and suppliers or at the State that regulates it, that is, at social and economic entities that are not part of the company's structure.
Another good example of what is external to a company is the outsourcing or outsourcing: the hiring of professional services intended to help the company or resolve any problem in its productive work, but which do not come from the company itself, but from an external entity.
Suppose, for example, that a small company requires monthly maintenance for its productive machines. There are two options for this: create your own maintenance department, or hire a different company to provide this service whenever necessary. The first option is an internal option; the second is an external option.
Continue with: Corporate communication
References
- “Internal” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “External” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Etymology of Internal” in the Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
- “Etymology of External” in the Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
- “The external and the internal” in Filosofia.org.
