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I Surf, Therefore I Am: A Philosophy of Surfing
This is the first book about surfing ever written by a philosopher. The author, a 70-year-old surfanatic, has been Professor of Philosophy at Boston College for over 40 years and has written 50 other books on philosophy, religion, and culture. But compared to this one, the others are nothing but straw.
It gives ten compelling existential. reasons why everyone should reasons from the great Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Lao Tzu, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Jesus, Machiavelli, Freud, and George Morey. It explains how surfing is the easiest and most delightful way in the world to attain what you most deeply long for, for it can make you good, mystical, peaceful, wise, heavenly, happy, sexy, and even rich.
It gives ten compelling existential. reasons why everyone should reasons from the great Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Lao Tzu, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Jesus, Machiavelli, Freud, and George Morey. It explains how surfing is the easiest and most delightful way in the world to attain what you most deeply long for, for it can make you good, mystical, peaceful, wise, heavenly, happy, sexy, and even rich.
- GenresPhilosophy
128 pages, Hardcover
First published July 11, 2007
7 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Peter Kreeft
197 books1,070 followersPeter Kreeft is an American philosopher and prolific author of over eighty books on Christian theology, philosophy, and apologetics. A convert from Protestantism to Catholicism, his journey was shaped by his study of Church history, Gothic architecture, and Thomistic thought. He earned his BA from Calvin College, an MA and PhD from Fordham University, and pursued further studies at Yale. Since 1965, he has taught philosophy at Boston College and also at The King’s College. Kreeft is known for formulating “Twenty Arguments for the Existence of God” with Ronald K. Tacelli, featured in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics. A strong advocate for unity among Christians, he emphasizes shared belief in Christ over denominational differences.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 23, 2025
I think there’s a reason surf culture stereotypically has a spiritual element to it and Kreeft did a pretty good job showing that. This was a short read drawing connections between philosophical world views and surfing. Every chapter was based off a different philosopher (from Lao Tzu to Socrates), and how their ideas might mesh with surfing. Some of it was definitely a stretch, but others I could understand. There was a lot of humor mixed in as well making it not dry at all. I think my favorite funny line was this in reference to Romeo and Juliet:
“Wipeouts are not to be feared. They can be far more fun than missing the wave entirely. A good wipeout is almost as good as a good ride. Catching a wave is like eloping with Juliet; missing a wave is like missing Juliet; and wiping out is like mud wrestling with Juliet.”
“Wipeouts are not to be feared. They can be far more fun than missing the wave entirely. A good wipeout is almost as good as a good ride. Catching a wave is like eloping with Juliet; missing a wave is like missing Juliet; and wiping out is like mud wrestling with Juliet.”
November 4, 2008
Like surfing, reading this book will make you happy. Kreeft, philosophy professor at Boston College and author of The Philosophy of Jesus and Socratic Logic, provides ten outstanding reasons to start surfing from ten illustrious sages, plus a manifesto supporting the right to boogie, and seven easy lessons for beginners.
Did I forget to mention that Kreeft is seventy years old and that he actually prefers to surf on the East Coast?
You may think that that reduces him to a surfing fanatic—and fanaticism is hardly a logical frame of mind, whereas philosophers are nothing if not logical. Be not afraid. As Kreeft assures readers, “No, surfers are not fanatics, because fanatics are not happy and surfers are.” Furthermore, “Fundamentalists believe the Rapture is future; surfers know it is present.” And finally, “The sea herself is the most poetic thing on earth (except perhaps for a woman’s face), and a breaking wave is the most poetic thing on the sea and riding it is the most poetic thing you can do with it. Therefore surfing is the most poetic thing you can do on earth.” As Kreeft reminds us, he’s written a book on Socratic logic, so he knows what he’s talking about.
But we haven’t gotten to the spiritual parts yet. Surfing, he says, makes one mystical because, “[w]hen you catch your first good wave, you will feel gratitude, because you will know that you have not chosen it, it has chosen you. You simply put yourself into the holy place where the gift was given.” You will also feel pity: “For that wave let you ride him at the last moment of his life, and his life was consummated for you. He died so that something in you could come to life in his death.” Finally, while the people of India may have discovered that yoga and meditation can result in Nirvana, the practice is difficult, nay, unachievable for most. Whereas in California, fifty years ago, George Morey invented the boogie board and made Nirvana available to everyone.
This little book is a treasure, and sure to interest not only surfers, but teenaged boys, idle in the academic stacks. I Surf, Therefore I Am is the second in a series about water, our love of the sea, and the metaphysics of surfing. The first book is called The Sea Within: Waves the Meaning of Everything, and next year St. Augustine’s will finish the trilogy with If Einstein Had Been a Surfer: A Surfer, a Scientist, and a Philosopher Discuss a “Universal Wave Theory” or “Theory of Everything.”
Other Recommended Titles
In The Faith of Scientists (Princeton University Press, 978-0-691-13487-1), twenty-one scientists from the last 500 years discuss, in their own words, their views on God, religion, and spirituality. Gallileo points out to Cardinal Barberini at a dinner party that if misinterpretation can take place in science, how can it not also happen with the Bible. Pascal struggles with the notion that habit makes believers of us all. Sagan attempts to unite religion and science with his NOMA project. Steven Hawkings asks, “Why does the universe bother to exist? If you like, you can define God to be the answer to that question.” Compiled and edited by Nancy Frankenberry, the John Phillips Professor of Religion at Dartmouth College, The Faith of Scientists is a fascinating glimpse into the minds of men and women asking hard questions and struggling to find answers they can live with.
Richard Watson’s book, The Philosopher’s Diet: How to Lose Weight and Change the World (David R. Godine, 978-1-56792-084-0), was first published in 1986 and has been reprinted eleven times. That’s how good it is. If you’re ready to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and just get over those hurdles in life, then this is the book for you. “Fat,” he writes in the very first chapter. “I presume you want to get rid of it. Then quit eating so much.” Watson offers a striking mixture of serious and silly tips for accomplishing this. (“I mean, if you are not tough enough to go through the initial withdrawal symptoms, then buzz off.”) He also includes chapters on “Running,” “Sex,” and “How to Die,” for good measure. There is also a chapter called “How to Live,” but really, that is the subject of the entire book. And fat.
Even if you get nothing from it but a good laugh, fellow readers in the café won’t be able to resist the title. (ForeWord Magazine)
Did I forget to mention that Kreeft is seventy years old and that he actually prefers to surf on the East Coast?
You may think that that reduces him to a surfing fanatic—and fanaticism is hardly a logical frame of mind, whereas philosophers are nothing if not logical. Be not afraid. As Kreeft assures readers, “No, surfers are not fanatics, because fanatics are not happy and surfers are.” Furthermore, “Fundamentalists believe the Rapture is future; surfers know it is present.” And finally, “The sea herself is the most poetic thing on earth (except perhaps for a woman’s face), and a breaking wave is the most poetic thing on the sea and riding it is the most poetic thing you can do with it. Therefore surfing is the most poetic thing you can do on earth.” As Kreeft reminds us, he’s written a book on Socratic logic, so he knows what he’s talking about.
But we haven’t gotten to the spiritual parts yet. Surfing, he says, makes one mystical because, “[w]hen you catch your first good wave, you will feel gratitude, because you will know that you have not chosen it, it has chosen you. You simply put yourself into the holy place where the gift was given.” You will also feel pity: “For that wave let you ride him at the last moment of his life, and his life was consummated for you. He died so that something in you could come to life in his death.” Finally, while the people of India may have discovered that yoga and meditation can result in Nirvana, the practice is difficult, nay, unachievable for most. Whereas in California, fifty years ago, George Morey invented the boogie board and made Nirvana available to everyone.
This little book is a treasure, and sure to interest not only surfers, but teenaged boys, idle in the academic stacks. I Surf, Therefore I Am is the second in a series about water, our love of the sea, and the metaphysics of surfing. The first book is called The Sea Within: Waves the Meaning of Everything, and next year St. Augustine’s will finish the trilogy with If Einstein Had Been a Surfer: A Surfer, a Scientist, and a Philosopher Discuss a “Universal Wave Theory” or “Theory of Everything.”
Other Recommended Titles
In The Faith of Scientists (Princeton University Press, 978-0-691-13487-1), twenty-one scientists from the last 500 years discuss, in their own words, their views on God, religion, and spirituality. Gallileo points out to Cardinal Barberini at a dinner party that if misinterpretation can take place in science, how can it not also happen with the Bible. Pascal struggles with the notion that habit makes believers of us all. Sagan attempts to unite religion and science with his NOMA project. Steven Hawkings asks, “Why does the universe bother to exist? If you like, you can define God to be the answer to that question.” Compiled and edited by Nancy Frankenberry, the John Phillips Professor of Religion at Dartmouth College, The Faith of Scientists is a fascinating glimpse into the minds of men and women asking hard questions and struggling to find answers they can live with.
Richard Watson’s book, The Philosopher’s Diet: How to Lose Weight and Change the World (David R. Godine, 978-1-56792-084-0), was first published in 1986 and has been reprinted eleven times. That’s how good it is. If you’re ready to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and just get over those hurdles in life, then this is the book for you. “Fat,” he writes in the very first chapter. “I presume you want to get rid of it. Then quit eating so much.” Watson offers a striking mixture of serious and silly tips for accomplishing this. (“I mean, if you are not tough enough to go through the initial withdrawal symptoms, then buzz off.”) He also includes chapters on “Running,” “Sex,” and “How to Die,” for good measure. There is also a chapter called “How to Live,” but really, that is the subject of the entire book. And fat.
Even if you get nothing from it but a good laugh, fellow readers in the café won’t be able to resist the title. (ForeWord Magazine)
May 25, 2017
I Surf, Therefore I Am
Peter Kreeft
Review: Man this book, a philosophical journey through the ideas and experiences of surfing. Peter in this book describes surfing in so many thought provoking ways, and sheds light on what really matters: Happiness. As stated early on in his book, he says that the main goal in life is to be happy. To find joy in everyone and thing out there. He uses surfing as a basis for not only this idea, but for his outlook on life. He compares it to bodyboarding and bodysurfing. Not only does he express his love for the magical experience within surfing, but he teaches you. He teaches you how to become a better surfer, or how to catch a wave. He explains so many metaphors between life, religion, ideas, friendship and so much more. And in writing this book, he is extremely rhetoric because of his philosophical and logical reasoning. He makes his statements and ideas relatable, so that the reader is more engaged in the book. The book was able to create a more sense of awareness in my life and my take on not only surfing, but how I should act everyday.
Peter Kreeft
Review: Man this book, a philosophical journey through the ideas and experiences of surfing. Peter in this book describes surfing in so many thought provoking ways, and sheds light on what really matters: Happiness. As stated early on in his book, he says that the main goal in life is to be happy. To find joy in everyone and thing out there. He uses surfing as a basis for not only this idea, but for his outlook on life. He compares it to bodyboarding and bodysurfing. Not only does he express his love for the magical experience within surfing, but he teaches you. He teaches you how to become a better surfer, or how to catch a wave. He explains so many metaphors between life, religion, ideas, friendship and so much more. And in writing this book, he is extremely rhetoric because of his philosophical and logical reasoning. He makes his statements and ideas relatable, so that the reader is more engaged in the book. The book was able to create a more sense of awareness in my life and my take on not only surfing, but how I should act everyday.
October 6, 2022
I now understand surfers 🌊
October 31, 2012
I loved this little gem of a book. When a friend gave it to me recently, I expected some kind of humorous twist from Kreeft using surfing to highlight some philosophical treatise or other. Instead, I found a dead serious, extremely joyful presentation of surfing as the pinnacle our human experience in God's beautiful creation.
Having loved playing in the ocean for over 30 years now, I naturally resonated with nearly every detail here. Kreeft boldly expands the conversation to show how joyfully catching waves describes much of our existance in every arena of life, both metaphorically and actually.
I have already begun passing this one around to friends. It's a worthy read. When you're done, get out in the water!
Having loved playing in the ocean for over 30 years now, I naturally resonated with nearly every detail here. Kreeft boldly expands the conversation to show how joyfully catching waves describes much of our existance in every arena of life, both metaphorically and actually.
I have already begun passing this one around to friends. It's a worthy read. When you're done, get out in the water!
Read
June 18, 2009love surfing. love philosophy. great read.
December 9, 2021
An entertaining mix of religion, philosophy, and surfing. Loved how he elevates the sport to an almost holy experience without losing his sense of humor and fun.
One of the best and most random books I've read this year.
One of the best and most random books I've read this year.
May 5, 2025
Great book! Short read. Rooted in faith in a unique way. I recommend to anyone who surfing is a big part of their life or who wants to get into surfing/understand the appeal to surfing or the joy of “the stoke”. Yeehaw
January 15, 2019
Any book about surfing is good - Kraft's philosophy of surfing is a fun read.
May 23, 2025
a funny little book
July 15, 2025
3.5 rounded up
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews