Thinking with Nature: Thoreau and Tesson in Conversation

Join philosopher Pierre-Laurent Boulanger for an evening of reflection on solitude, freedom, and the art of living deliberately, inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s Walden and Sylvain Tesson’s The Consolations of the Forest.

Separated by a century and an ocean, Thoreau and Tesson each withdrew to a cabin in the woods to test the boundaries of solitude and attention to nature. What can their experiences teach us today about balance, retreat, and renewal in an age of distraction

The evening begins with a wine and cheese reception at 5:30 PM, followed by the discussion at 6:00 PM.

Free for students and faculty with valid ID
Tickets for members/non members here

The Consolations of the Forest recounts the six months Tesson spent in isolation on Lake Baikal’s frozen shores—transforming a Siberian cabin into a laboratory of freedom and silence. A prize-winning writer and traveler, Tesson has crossed continents on foot, by bicycle, and on horseback, crafting works that blend adventure, philosophy, and literature.

In Walden; or, Life in the Woods (1854), Thoreau reflects on two years of simple living by Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. His experiment in self-reliance and close observation of nature remains a timeless meditation on mindfulness and independence.