When I first had the idea that I wanted to start a blog it was shortly after a trip to Kyoto where I had walked along the philosophers’ walk. The name of the blog came to me while I was reflecting on that walk and how philosophy and walking have always been associated with each other.  And then there was an idea that I had that as a philosopher I might use the blog to comment on a variety of things that I came across in the media (press, internet, and so on) and so in that way it would be like walking along and talking with those reading the blog – whoever they might be.

But that was long ago when FaceBook was young and the idea of blogging seemed fresh and new. My students were one group of readers that I had particularly hoped to reach with the blog.  One of my goals when teaching introduction to philosophy has always been to try to show how philosophical ways of thinking could be useful, not just in philosophy class but in the world and I had hoped the blog might provide a way of modeling that idea.

It never really worked out like that.  One reason is simply the nature of my job. Working on teaching takes time and while there were moments that I devoted solely to that task, I have to admit that there was less time spent in that way than I believe would have been optimal. I was distracted by my own philosophical interests and by administrative tasks at the college.  Both kinds of work were really enjoyable and challenging for me in different ways and while I would promise to revise my courses and even sometimes do a bit here and there, the blog did not feature prominently in my revisions and I posted only rarely.

But now I am retired from my teaching position and this weekend I walked another Philosophers’ Walk – this time in Heidelberg – which reminds me that I am not retired from philosophy. I had forgotten that my original inspiration was the first such stroll until today.  And so perhaps it is time to start the blog up again.