Knyazeva, E. N. The Strategy of Environmentally Safe Thinking in Terms of Jacob von Uexkull’s Unwelt Concept

Abstract: The article presents methodological grounds for developing modern strategies of environmentally safe thinking based on the theory of biology and the theory of complex adaptive systems. Being a science about interaction of living beings and their communities with the environment, today’s environmental studies go far beyond the initial borders of biology and become the core discipline in the middle of perspective inter-disciplinary synthesis of knowledge. The environmental approach appears to be quite usefully for researches of social studies and humanities. Environmentally safe action, environmentally safe mind, environmentally safe life style, knowledge and creative work, environmentally safe thought and word, environmentally safe ideas, environmentally safe communication and environmentally safe management — all these conceptual theories prove that environmentally safe thinking is becoming an important part of the humanities and social studies where it reveals possibilities for new and fresh approaches. The author of the present research article describes the meaning and importance of the term ‘Unwelt’ and the teaching about Unwelt (Umweltslehre) introduced by Jacob von Uexkull over 100 years ago, for the development of modern environmental universalism and creation of strategic imperatives of environmentally safe thinking. The concept of Unwelt as a specific world certain species and a particular living creature are adjusted to became the inter-disciplinary platform for development of the theory of environmental studies and achievement of a sensible position when discussing the sustainable development and sustainable future as well as the role of education in the global sustainable development. To develop the environmentally safe thinking, Elena Knyazeva has used the fundamental concepts of Jacob von Uexkull’s teaching about Unwelt as well as methodology of the researches of complex systems. The scientific novelty of the research is in its inter-disciplinary nature and application of theoretical biology, Uexkull’s teaching about Unwelt, theory of complex systems and newest terms of cognitive science (in particular, dynamic co-emergence and inactivism) for the development of the theory of social management and social forecasting (i.e. study of the future) and the concepts of sustainable development and environmental ethics.

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