humanworld

Humanworld is a term used in philosophy, anthropology, and related fields to denote the total of human-created environments, systems, and practices that constitute the sphere in which people live and act. It includes built surroundings such as cities and infrastructure, social institutions such as law and education, economic arrangements, technological networks, language and culture, as well as daily routines and shared meanings. The concept emphasizes the human-centered, culturally constructed character of daily life while recognizing that the humanworld and the natural world are deeply intertwined through resource use, energy flows, and environmental change.

Usage and scope: Although not universally standardized, humanworld appears in discussions of urbanization, globalization, digital life, and sustainability. It is used to analyze how power, identity, and social relations are organized in space and time, and how policy, design, and routine shape collective life.

Relation to lifeworld and critique: Some scholars connect humanworld with the phenomenological lifeworld, the background of everyday experience that makes meaning possible. Critics note that the term can risk anthropocentrism or overlook nonhuman agency and ecological limits, arguing for approaches that incorporate ecological scales and nonhuman actors.

Examples of study topics include how cities are planned to facilitate interaction and resilience, how communication networks reframe social norms, and how governance systems affect health, education, and labor within the humanworld.

See also lifeworld, anthropocentrism, built environment, urban studies, environmental humanities.