Why do we run, hike, cycle, ski, swim, or pursue other outdoor activities?

In Philosophy of the Outdoors, I show that physical activity not only allows us to explore our natural surroundings but also transforms and opens up our body to nature; it transforms our experience of those surroundings.

Physical exercise and exposure to the elements forge a deep connection with nature that remains inaccessible to the passive viewer. We experience the joy of attuning to the specific features of the environment, a joy that turns into an experience of meaning when we learn to appreciate nature as the ultimate source of that joy.

And that’s not all. While feeling connected we can at the same time attain a sense of wonder. We realize that we never really know nature, and even that we never really know ourselves as part of nature.

Engaging with many outdoor enthusiasts, from kayakers to rock climbers and surfers, I explore both the joy and profundity of outdoor activity.

Philosophy of the Outdoors will be available as a hardcover in December 2026 and as an affordable paperback in June 2027.

Praise for Philosophy of the Outdoors

"Philosophy of the Outdoors is unique in the way that it straddles both philosophy of nature and phenomenology of the body. The book's greatest strength is that it offers a sustained treatment of the philosophy of the outdoors, emphasizing a human being's physical activity in nature and the experience of meaning in nature. Another strength is the way that van Buuren relies on examples and firsthand accounts by practitioners in a wide array of physical activities in nature: hiking, rock climbing, surfing, sea diving, running, kayaking, etc. These accounts ground and balance the theoretical issues treated in the book in a rewarding way."

— Daniel A. Dombrowski, professor emeritus of philosophy at Seattle University