Thinking while Walking: Reflections on the Pacific Crest Trail

Product Description

This is a book that teaches the art of thinking in an inspiring encounter with the wilderness.
 “A marvelous read for any hiker, anyone who loves nature, anyone who loves the outdoors, or anyone who likes to experience life and sometimes reflect on those experiences.” Peter Gourevitch, University of California, San Diego.
Philosopher Martin Bunzl highlights the beauty of nature as he examines a series of thought-provoking questions informed by respect for natural selection. For example:

Millions of trees along the trail are being destroyed by beetles. If we have a duty of respect to nature, why does that respect not extend to the beetles?
We have rights, and perhaps other animals do as well, but does nature itself have rights? If not, how do we ground our duty to respect it?
We have inherited a distinction between the natural and the “man-made”. How does that affect how we think about nature and our relationship to it?

The trail sparks moral, categorical and metaphysical meditations – from the impact of a single piece of litter to the sense of awe nature provokes in us.

Review

“Bunzl has thought deeply about our place in the world, and it shows. In Thinking while Walking, he guides the reader through the many pleasures and responsibilities of living on a crowded planet, pausing to ask some of the more vexing questions in environmental philosophy.”  Gernot Wagner, New York University

 “A marvelous read for any hiker, anyone who loves nature, anyone who loves the outdoors, or anyone who likes to experience life and sometimes reflect on those experiences.” Peter Gourevitch, University of California, San Diego

From the Back Cover

Join philosopher Martin Bunzl as he highlights the beauty of nature along the Pacific Crest Trail while he examines a series of thought-provoking questions informed by respect for natural selection.

About the Author

Martin Bunzl is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Rutgers University where he taught for 40 years. He is the author of numerous papers as well as three books: Uncertainty and the Philosophy of Climate Change, Real History, The Context of Explanation.