An environment is a
complex of external factors. It acts on a
system and determines its course and form of existence. An environment may be thought of as a superset, of which the given system is a
subset. An environment may have one or more
parameters, physical or otherwise. The environment of a given system must interact with that system in order for it to sustain and develop.
Generally, the environment or milieu of some
object or
action consists of the
substances, circumstances, objects, or conditions by which it is surrounded or in which it occurs. (Although the two terms are usually
synonyms, some
sciences prefer the less common milieu to avoid confusion with the more wider-known meanings of environment in
ecology,
politics, and
sociology).
Either word may be used with specialized meaning in various contexts.
Computer science and informatics
In
computer science, the term generally means data, processes or devices which, although not explicitly named as parameters of a computation, may nevertheless affect its outcome.
More generally, it may also mean the hardware and operating system on which a program is executed; see
system platform. la concha d tu vieja
Liberal arts and social science
In non-technical contexts, such as
politics, it often refers to the natural environment, that part of the
natural world that is deemed valuable or important by
human beings, for any reason. See
natural environment.
In any kind of organization or enterprise, it may also refer to the social and psychological conditions that are felt by its members. See
work environment.
In any kind of meeting or
congress, it may signify the prevailing mood or preferences of the participants.
Life science
In
biology, environment may be defined as the complex of
climatic,
biotic,
social and
edaphic factors that acts upon an organism and determines its form and survival. It, therefore, includes everything that may directly affect the metabolism or behavior of a living organism or species, including
light,
air,
water,
soil, and other living beings. See
natural environment and
natural selection.
In
architecture,
ergonomy, and
work safety, it is the ensemble of elements of a room or building that affect the well-being and efficiency of its occupants—including dimensions and arrangement of living spaces and furniture, light, ventilation, temperature, noise, etc. It may also refer to the collection of built structures. See
built environment.
See
geography for a subject that is a
study of the environment. (Terms like SOSE (Studies of Society & the Environment) not only refer to environmental studies, but also
social sciences.)
In
psychology, environmentalism is the theory that environment (in the general and social sense) plays a greater role than
heredity in determining an individual's development. More significantly, the environment is an important factor in many psychological theories.