Will and Environment

Physiological motions are often treated as merely intra-organistic, but, as Dewey argues, they are actually constituted by the interaction between an organism and its environment. For example, walking involves the resistance of the ground to the exertion of the legs, not merely the latter alone. Similarly, the effect of the air pressure that constantly surrounds one's body tends to be ignored until a heavy wind makes even lifting one's arm difficult. In other words, Will, the setting oneself in motion, is both a venture into Exteriority and an engagement with Alteriority. So, Levinas fails to recognize that one's engagement with another person is only a special case of Will-Environment interaction in general.