Philosophy of Food and Agriculture

How we grow and consume food is a subject that provokes considerable controversy. For instance, agriculture contributes to the nitrogen problem and has a major impact on biodiversity. At the same time, there are many mouths to feed worldwide. Food security and food sovereignty must be guaranteed. Inequality in the global food chain is also a major issue that should not be overlooked. Another topic of discussion is the way animals are used for human consumption. What is acceptable and what is not?

The choices that farmers and citizens make regarding the production and consumption of food are informed by their worldview or value orientation. In this course, we discuss key texts by philosophers who have reflected on food. What visions and beliefs drive the development of modern industrial agriculture? And what alternative value orientations underlie organic farming or agroecology? Is it justified to keep animals in captivity or to eat them? How can we restore the meal to a more meaningful place in our daily lives? Is food merely a commodity, or is it something that connects us to other organisms and people? Do we perhaps have an unhealthy obsession with healthy food?

The course will focus specifically on the concept of stewardship. This is a concept that is often used in discussions of food and land use, but it is also interpreted in very diverse ways. By writing an essay in which you engage with the views of major thinkers in the philosophy of food and agriculture, you will be challenged to develop your own vision on a dilemma that interests you.

• Interpret the ideas and arguments of key authors in the philosophy of food

• Explain how worldview and value orientations influence the production and consumption of food

• Evaluate various approaches in the philosophy of food and bring them into dialogue with each other

• Develop a philosophical point of view on a specific dilemma concerning food and/or agriculture

• Assignment essay (100%)

• Selected readings. Made available on Brightspace.