We are almost in the rise of the third decade of the 21st century and the snapshot of humanity is outlined by galloping technological advances and discoveries. In this exponentially evolving world, we will be confronted, sooner or later, with moral dilemmas that will inevitably arise along with the discovery of the uncharted paths of science. It is crucial to recognize the need for critical thinking on the events of humanity, aiming for a sustainable and fruitful future.
In this research paper, the act of wandering is chosen to be analyzed, as a practice and as a producer of meaning, finally attempting to redefine its position in modern times, examining how it can provide a solution to the aforementioned need for critical thinking.
The research is divided into three parts. The first begins with the mention of specific points in time where the aesthetic act of walking was observed, commenting on its relation with wandering and the sign/symbolic space. At the same time, the primordial need of man to create landmarks is being analyzed and how this led to the creation of paths (voids) and space (wholes) . Then, in the second part there is a social and psychological analysis -in a philosophical spectrum- of modern man, examining inductively the individual, the group, the groups relations and finally society, in relation to the concepts and practices associated with wandering, in order to understand what its role is. Therefore, a “fragmentation” of the individual is attempted, in order to decipher the constituent elements of behavior and thinking that govern it. The third part lists the personal experience of the researcher with wandering as a practice but also as a mental process, as well as some thoughts about the future, where, having preceded the individual and social development it is attempted to answer the original question posed.