A Philosophy of Walking

Nonspecialist readers may at first be intimidated by this work of pedestrian philosophy by Gros (philosophy, Univ. of Paris), which includes discussion of prominent philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, and Friedrich Nietzsche. They need not be. The writing and ideas are clear, accessible, and witty and should be approached by anyone with an interest in walking for fun, for leisure, or as a mechanism for creating thinking. Gros mixes personal essays and musings, both short and long, with more serious academic investigations on the influence of walking on some of the most eminent thinkers in history. The subjects are far reaching: from the simple wander in the garden to more intense (and lengthy) pilgrimages. Gros ponders whether walking is a sport (it isn't) and whether it is better to walk together or alone, fast or slow (answer: it depends).