This is why barefoot shoes exist, e.g. Vivobarefoot. Thin, puncture-resistant soles that prevent puncture and slice damage while still allowing your feet to remain connected with the ground and get stronger.

Every foot is different, and for some, like those who experience a lot of supination or high arches, arch support is likely the best way to go.

But there does seem to be a growing body of evidence that modern shoe design seems to promote weak arch muscles, and thus lead to pronation and flat arches, where as shoes with zero drop and no arch support, if transitioned to slowly, will eventually build up those muscles and no longer require support. I think there's also a strong case to be made in favor of shoes with a large toebox that doesn't squeeze the toes together.

Happy to be provided some. I got told I needed arch support after I'd been fairly inactive for over a year due to injury. I went barefoot style instead and my feet have never been happier.

I wouldn't recommend barefoot running shoes unless you are running on soft surfaces. I am a provider who specializes in orthopedics and rehabilitation, specifically orthotics and prosthetics at a university hospital.

Our clinic is mainly patient care oriented, but we do get to do some research. The barefoot running fad was kicked off by from what I believe to be a purposely clumsy interpretation of some really interesting studies.

Mostly an investigative study about the bio mechanics of tribes in Africa who traditionally ran long distances without foot wear. The study is actually really great, but a lot of the proclaimed benefits aren't really applicable to other environments or cultures.

These tribes had their runners training without shoes at a very young age, and always on soft surfaces. If you take away any of the preconditions and the benefits also disappear.

Whitin barefoot shoes on amazon are a great entry into the barefoot style, they're very affordable and depending on the exact style you choose, actually seem to hold up surprisingly well for the price. Make sure you go for the ones that explicitly say they are Wide though, those have the most natural toebox shape.

There's also Splay! Shoes, which offer some affordable barefoot shoes that look like Vans.

Xero shoes are popular and more reasonably priced though I have no experience with them myself.