The Philosophy of Food

by Kaplan, David M.

• ISBN13: 9780520269347
• ISBN10: 0520269349
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-02-01
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

This book explores food from a philosophical perspective, bringing together sixteen leading philosophers to consider the most basic questions about food: What is it exactly? What should we eat? How do we know it is safe? How should food be distributed? What is good food? David M. Kaplan's erudite and informative introduction grounds the discussion, showing how philosophers since Plato have taken up questions about food, diet, agriculture, and animals. However, until recently, few have considered food a standard subject fir serious philosophical debate. Each of the essays in this book brings in-depth analysis to many contemporary debates in food studies--Slow Food, sustainability, food safety, and politics--and addresses such issues as "happy meat," aquaculture, veganism, and table manners. The result is an extraordinary resource that guides readers to think more clearly and responsibly about what we consume and how we provide for ourselves, and illuminates the reasons why we act as we do.

Author Biography

David M. Kaplan is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Texas.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Philosophy of Food	p. 1
Real Men have Manners	p. 24
Down-Home Global Cooking: A Third Option between Cosmopolitanism and Localism	p. 33
Hunger is the Best Sauce: The Aesthetics of Food	p. 52
Smells, Tastes, and Everyday Aesthetics	p. 69
Ethical Gourmandism	p. 87
Two Evils in Food Country: Hunger and Lack of Representation	p. 103
Ethics and Genetically Modified Food	p. 122
The Ethics of Food Safety in the Twenty-First Century: Who Keeps the Public Good?	p. 140
The Myth of Happy Meat	p. 161
Animal Welfare, Happy Meat, and Veganism as the Moral Baseline	p. 169
Animal Ethics and Food Production in the Twenty-First Century	p. 190
Nature Politics and the Philosophy of Agriculture	p. 214
The Ethics and Sustainability of Aquaculture	p. 233
Scenarios for Food Security	p. 250
Nutritionism and Functional Foods	p. 269
In Vitro Meat: What are the Moral Issues?	p. 292
Contributors	p. 305
Index	p. 307
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