This chapter critiques traditional adaptationist views in biology by exploring the dialectical relationship between organisms and their environments. Drawing on Lewontin, Hegel, and contemporary theorists, it explores niche construction—how organisms actively construct their niches rather than passively adapting to pre-existing conditions. Expanding this concept somewhat, experiential niche construction is introduced to highlight how organisms mediate their surroundings through perception and behaviour, reshaping selective pressures in the process. Challenging reductionist models, the analysis emphasises the qualitative and reciprocal nature of organism-environment interactions. Critiquing reductionist and externalist models, the chapter advocates for a more integrated approach that recognises the qualitative and relational dimensions of organism-environment interactions. Hegel’s philosophical framework is employed to conceptualise this relationship as one of mutual determination, where purposive activity and habit formation enable organisms to transform their surroundings while being shaped by them in turn. The discussion highlights the underdetermination of adaptations by the environment, illustrating how affordances and constraints emerge from organismic agency rather than external forces alone.