Polar Expeditions

When Johnson went to work for the US Antarctic Program (devoted to scientific research and education in support of the national interest in the Antarctic), he figured he'd find adventure, beauty, penguins, and lofty-minded scientists. Instead he found boredom, alcohol, and bureaucracy. As a dishwasher and garbage man at McMurdo Station, Johnson quickly shed his illusions about Antarctica.

A thoughtful and eloquent meditation that invites us to treat life like a grand exploration and illuminates the possibilities that await us when we do—from “a philosophical adventurer—or perhaps an adventurous philosopher” (The New York Times). Erling Kagge is one of the world’s most...