Abstract
The main aim of this article is to draw attention to the current relevance of analyses of the human way of being in space in the works of Jan Patočka, particularly their use in contemporary discussions in the field of environmental ethics and aesthetics. In the first part, the author focuses on presenting the basic points in the discussion about the contemporary use of the term environment (for example, by D.
E. Cooper and Nigel Dower) and to its connection with the historical development of the understanding of space in the history of Western thought.
The second part is devoted to the use of Patočka’s reflections on the nature of space in solving the difficulties that were identified in the first part in connection with the term environment. The article concludes by outlining another possible application of Patočka’s reflections on space in exploring the aesthetic dimension of environmental experience.