What does "external" mean?

[Elfdude]

What about that contradicts or conflicts with the concept that it's a relativistic measure. I could reverse your words entirely and as long as we have an external we have an internal. The concept only has meaning in case of the dichotomy of what it is not. Since this dichotomy is defined by the bounds of anything (including ourselves) its actual meaning is only relevant relatively.

[Kyriakos]

The external is not part of you by definition, though, and the concept of the external is internal itself - like all concepts. The OP was about specifically the way the concept of the external appeared (there are various theories; prehistoric man is generally thought to have been living in a sort of dream-like state at first, prior to language). That by now (and since historic times) we use the concept of the external everyday, can hide its origins as something possibly very particular and constructed.
That said, even toddlers-to-1 year old children, before language or even a bit after (ie a bit later than 1 year as well), seem to not have a clear or stable concept of the external.

[basics]

Kyriakos,

In the case of children's understanding of the world that faces them one could argue that most of it is external to them yet built into their genes is the enthusiasm to learn about anything that catches their minds. For example we all know that the things kids pick up so quickly are not always beneficial to them and so we teach them as best as possible to differentiate things that are good for them and things that should remain external to them. Nonetheless it is the knowledge that they have learned of both aspects of good or bad, right and wrong that is best internally acknowledged. Of course that is quite different from saying of material things that one may be external to another as in most cases one cannot harm the other.