Thinking on the move
On November 21st, we celebrate UNESCO’s Global Philosophy Day. The practice of walking and thinking has its roots in Ancient Greece, where Aristotle taught philosophy while strolling with his students in the Peripatetic school. In her book, "Wanderlust: A History of Walking," Rebecca Solnit shares an impressive list of thinkers who used walking to develop their ideas. This includes notable figures like Charles Darwin, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Thomas Hobbes, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. To be added are equally inspring women such as Dorothy Wordsworth, Virginia Woolf, and Toni Morrison.
Long before Western philosophers, Indigenous peoples have practiced (and practice today) holistic approaches that combine movement, learning, and nature. This practice enhances creative thinking and strengthens connections with communities and the land.
Walking has also inspired new and powerful ways of thinking critically about society. There have been many historical events where walking served as a form of political action, such as the Women's March on Versailles in 1789, Gandhi’s 240-mile Salt March for Indian independence, Martin Luther King Jr.’s 54-mile march against unjust voting laws, and the 2013 journey of the James Bay Cree group from Whapmagoostui, Quebec, to Parliament Hill, a distance of 1,600 km. Walking has the power to change history.
Research from Stanford University shows that walking can enhance our thinking process. It helps our brains create new connections and improves our memory while increasing the size of the hippocampus.
Not only did Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg embrace walking meetings, but universities are also beginning to promote the idea of learning and teaching on the move.
In the long run, walking can help people align their thoughts with their actions, making thinking a full-body experience that encourages deeper reflection on the world around us. Walking can inspire us to envision alternative futures for our society as we face challenges together, walking towards a new world, just as the Greeks and Indigenous cultures have done.
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2024-11-19 19:00
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Meet the authors who are writing about walking and the landscapes through which we walk, at Walking Writers Salons. We are delighted to welcome writer Sarah Royston... Keep reading
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The “Takin ‘ A Walk Podcast invites you to check out our companion podcast, The Music Saved Me Podcast hosted by Lynn Hoffman, formerly of VH1 and A & E. Music Save... Start listening
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2024-11-19 19:00
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Meet the authors who are writing about walking and the landscapes through which we walk, at Walking Writers Salons. We are delighted to welcome writer Sarah Royston... Keep reading
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