Philosophical Exercises

For a while now, but especially in January 2026, I have been indulging in the pleasures of bird-watching. It is simply amazing. It’s been a constant and easily accessible source of awe & wonder. Many people have described the philosophical and spiritual relevance of this activity, and I would like to add my voice to this chorus. In my opinion, bird-watching is an exercise in the dynamic nature of wonder. Bare-eyed pigeon from Pauline Knip’s Les Pigeons (1811) Quite a few people have attempted to nail down what is distinctly philosophical about the hobby of bird-watching. Someone pointed out that, like philosophy, it “is an exercise in seeing sameness and difference” . Someone else remarked that bird-watching is a sort of communion with an alien reality, a strange mind & elemental force , and thus it is philosophical, but different from the usual kind of philosophical speculation. Other pertinent remarks include the idea that “the inaccessibility of birds is the he...