Walking, Wandering, and Journeying: Approaches from Chinese and Greek Thought

Dear Colleagues,

Walking, wandering, and journeying are guiding metaphors and embodied practices that shaped the philosophical and religious imagination of early China and Greece. In Chinese philosophy, the movement of the way (Dao 道) oriented one's understanding of the world and one's path within it. For Daoists, Dao is a path made and realized through the very act of walking (xing 行). Opening with the scene of the colossal Peng bird’s transformative journey, the Zhuangzi 莊子 recommends wandering (you 遊) as the natural way of thinking and living in a changing world. The Confucian way (Ru dao 儒道) is a journey of following the transmitted way of the sage-kings, while self-cultivation is viewed as the lifelong process of making that way one's own. As itinerant advisors, Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi themselves traversed a fractured world promoting their visions of social and political order. Greek thought was similarly structured by the concept of walking on a path (odos ὁδός). Odos signified a road with a destination, and was generalized into  methodos (μετ- ὁδός, “a following after a way”), which became the metaphor for a systematic approach and, by extension, a way of life. For Pythagoras, the soul itself is a wanderer, going through cycles of rebirth until discipline and study offer it release. Parmenides describes a divine journey on the “right route” to Truth which also includes understanding the deceptive opinions of mortals, while in Plato, the philosophical life is an arduous ascent from a cave––a transformative intellectual and spiritual journey. Central to both traditions, the motifs of walking, wandering, and journeying function in different ways, underpinning distinct conceptions of reality, self-cultivation, and the divine.

This Special Issue initiates a systematic dialogue between these two philosophical and religious traditions through the lens of walking, wandering, and journeying. We welcome submissions that explore these themes within either tradition or from a comparative perspective. We seek to illuminate how the metaphors and practices of walking, wandering, and journeying shaped foundational ideas about reality, knowledge, and the good life. We also welcome investigations into modern reconstructions of these ancient perceptions.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

- Walking as inquiry;

- Wandering of the itinerant/errant sage;

- Self-transformation as journey;

- Ethical crossroads;

- Wandering and withdrawal;

- Wandering and dwelling;

- Walking/acting (xing 行) and speaking (yan 言);

- Walking vs. seeing;

- The politics of walking and wandering.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution to the Guest Editors. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring a proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Philosophies.

Dr. Dimitra Amarantidou
Dr. Thomas Michael
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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