WALKING - Henry Thoreau

The essay "Walking" and the affinities of Thoreau's thought with psychogeography

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American philosopher, writer, and naturalist known for his contributions to the Transcendentalist movement. He spent much of his life in Concord, Massachusetts, dedicated to writing and creating literary works in which preserving the human relationship with nature is seen as an alternative to the questionable development of the urban environment.

“Walking” is an essay in which Thoreau explores the meaning and importance of this apparently banal act. He argues that walking is a form of spiritual elevation and that modern society, tied to conventions, has lost contact with nature and itself.

Thoreau exalts the value of individual freedom and connection with nature through walking. The author highlights how contact with the natural world can lead to inner growth and a deeper understanding of life.

"Walking as a way of going beyond the conventional world and discovering the inner truth."

"The walk is an act of freedom, a rebellion against the restrictions imposed by modern society."

(Thoreau, Henry D.. Walking . Lindau. It. Kindle ed.) 

The philosophy of walking, according to Thoreau, is imbued with spirituality and the search for freedom. 

In this work, we refer to the essay "Civil Disobedience" by the same author, which explores the concept of resistance to unjust laws and government actions. 

Published in 1849 as an essay entitled "Resistance to Civil Government," Thoreau's treatise left an indelible imprint on the discourse on the relationship between individual conscience and established power. 

Here, we find analogies with what would later become Debord's thought, even if the form of protest advocated by the French thinker, although political, materializes on the collective and artistic/symbolic act rather than on the decidedly individualistic and concrete civil disobedience.

Thoreau sees walking as an opportunity to connect with nature, discover inner truth and escape society's restrictions. Walking elevates the spirit and gives a clearer vision of life and one's being. 

Thoreau invites us to consider walking as a physical activity and a philosophical and spiritual experience that opens the door to a deeper understanding of the world and ourselves.

Thoreau's walking philosophy and psychogeography share similarities, especially in critiquing modern urban development. Both address the relationship between the individual and the surrounding environment, highlighting the philosophical and social implications of the spatial experience.

Thoreau criticizes the growth of cities and the negative influence of urban development on the individual-nature connection. He argues that urban life alienates people from nature and limits their freedom. Psychogeography also explores the relationship between the individual and urban space, highlighting how the environment can influence the human psyche and behaviour.

Decidedly provocative in proposing a different opinion on multiple topics and stereotypes, Thoreau opposes standardization and monotony in everyday life, emphasizing the value of diversity and variety. This call to diversity parallels psychogeography, which criticizes the standardization of urban spaces and claims to reappropriate the city as a place rich in individual and collective meanings.

Both perspectives promote the importance of physical and mental exploration to discover the inner truth and develop a deeper understanding of the world. Thoreau argues that walking is an act of rebellion against society's restrictions. At the same time, psychogeography emphasizes drift, the art of deliberately losing oneself in the city in opposition to the political-commercial appropriation of spaces.

Both Thoreau and psychogeography reflect on human nature and the relationship between individuals and their environment.

Reading this essay, in its Italian version, "Camminare", allowed me to interact with Gian Paolo Chiari, author of "La Passeggiata Italiana" (trans. "the Italian Walking"), with greater awareness of the topic. From these sources and the ideas I gained from them, part of the critical review was born, in which I present the thesis of walking as a crucial act to trigger and drive the application of psychogeographic principles and drift.

I compared Thoreau's and Debord's philosophies. They seem similar at first glance and share only the critique of the pre-established as the trigger of the act of walking. However, the thinkers' positions immediately diverge: Debord ideologically appropriates walking within the theory of drift, which he considers the only significant practice of rebellion. Nature as an alternative, so dear to the transcendendalist Thoreau, is totally forgotten in what, according to Debord, is not an act of civil disobedience but rather a political protest.