THE SPIRITUAL CASE FOR A DAILY WALK

Here’s how this week’s arts and culture column begins:

“It is solved by walking.” — St. Augustine

For decades I have considered a longish walk part of my daily routine. By “walk,” I don’t mean the fetishistic activity that involves a water bottle carrier, a backpack, and a Fitbit. I grab my sunglasses, walk out the door, and give myself over to the sheer, exuberant wonder of the enterprise.

In “A Philosophy of Walking” (Verso, $19.95), French professor of Philosophy Frédéric Gros reflects upon some of the many thinkers and writers throughout history who have also considered walking essential to their work: Nietzsche, Rimbaud, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thoreau.

READ THE WHOLE PIECE HERE.