Other titles in the series:
"This book is an essential read for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of the natural world and find peace in its embrace."
- Sherlock & Pages
What does it mean to inhabit landscape as a practice and not merely as recreation? Philosopher and athlete Francis Sanzaro argues that humanity and the wild are in a mutual state of crisis, that we have forgotten how to engage with the natural world.
Unless we prioritize and cultivate our relation to the outside, the ultimate value of forests, mountains and oceans will remain a mystery.
Taking us on a thinking journey through the wilderness, Sanzaro follows all leads in his quest, getting lost and found, and taking risks along the way. Zen of the Wild discovers that nature is the very architect of our bodies.
Zen of the Wild is the third book in a series. The previous titles are The Boulder: A Philosophy for Bouldering and Zen of Climbing: A Philosophy for Climbers.
The Zen of the Wild
"In Zen of the Wild, Sanzaro presents a view of the human condition informed by both contemporary science and philosophical and spiritual traditions. Sanzaro argues that instead of the common practice of idolizing the wild, taming it and turning it into an instrument to build our egos, we should be transformed by the wild. In order to do this, we must truly understand what the wild is and why we need it. Eschewing the cult of the spiritual guru and the exoticization of mystical insight, Sanzaro provides a deeply grounded humanistic answer to the oldest of human questions: how ought we to live? Zen of the Wild is a thinking person’s self-help book."
- Matthew Van Cleave, PhD, Philosophy Professor, Western Colorado University