The preface presents the concept of environment as the surrounding external conditions that influence the development and growth of people, animals, and plants, as well as their living and working conditions. It emphasizes that environment encompasses the physical attributes that support and impact life in the biosphere. Over time, the scope of the term "environment" has evolved, initially consisting of the physical aspects of the Earth like land, air, and water, along with biological communities. As time has progressed, human influence has extended the concept of environment to include social, economic, and political factors.
According to one definition by Boring, a person's environment encompasses all the stimulation they receive from the moment of conception until their death. This definition highlights the diverse forces at play, including physical, intellectual, economic, political, cultural, social, moral, and emotional elements. In essence, the environment represents the collective sum of external forces, influences, and conditions that impact the life, nature, behavior, and growth, as well as the development and maturation, of living organisms.
According to Douglas and Holland, the term "environment" is used to collectively describe all external forces, influences, and conditions that affect the life, nature, behavior, and the growth, development, and maturity of living organisms.
According to Singh.S.K, the effective environment is defined as everything external to the organism.
