Running With the Pack: Thoughts from the Road on Meaning and Mortality

Professor of philosophy at the University of Miami Rowlands (The Philosopher and the Wolf) astutely blends the science of running with the meaning of life from his over two decades of pushing his body to the limits. He downplays notions of running as a healthy, serene activity, focusing instead on its relationship to the natural flow of our ever-shifting thoughts. Philosophy, according to Rowlands, once the domain of professionals and academics, now can be applied to anyone running a sprint or a marathon, solving any philosophical answer to the imagined finish line. He samples the ideas of thinkers like Spinoza, Descartes, Aristotle, Plato, Schopenhauer, and Wittgenstein like a hip D.J. mixing and blending from a vintage playlist. One of the interesting elements of the book is Rowlands's connection with "Brenin, the wolf, Nina, his dog-friend, and, Tess his wolf-dog daughter," who run with the author through various challenging terrains. Rowlands enchantingly depicts the inner world of the runner, complemented with wisdom of the animal realm and revelations of philosophical thought. (Nov.)