On Running and Becoming Human

How does the simple act of running make us human? As a form of enskilled movement that shapes how we perceive our surroundings running enacts a mindful bodily engagement with the world an engagement that generates our very minds through perceptual learning. Thomas F. Carter examines the interrelated aspects of a runner’s being—mind body and environs—to illustrate that the skillful act of locomotion is one of principle ways that we as human beings become integral parts of the larger world. Synthesizing recent developments in neuroscience anthropology and philosophy of mind On Running proves there is more to running than merely clocking up the miles.