Philosophy of Food Course Research Questions

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1. What is food?

2. What does the deep history of human experience of food (evolutionary, agriculture) tell us about the place of food in culture and our psychology. What are some basic drivers of human food history?

3. How did the US food system develop? What are some of its characteristic problems? What does it do well?

4. What is food culture and what is distinctive about food as a form of culture?

5. How is cuisine connected to power, religion, and cosmology? How does cuisine become culture and influence other cultures?

6. How do "food ways" (the historic migration of foods and microbes) shape food culuture?

7. How does gastronomy shape food culture?

8. How do food choices and food cultures raise ethical, environmental, and social justice concerns?

9. How do food choices and food cultures raise aesthetic questions and questions about subjective satisfaction?

10. How should I critically assess my own food practices in light of my understanding of the nature of food, my own choices, and my food culture?

10. What is a nutritious diet?

11. What is a practical diet?

12. What is a satisfying diet?

13. What are the mechanisms of food behaviors, including unhealthy eating patterns?

14. How do I use all of this knowledge to become a healthier and more satisfied person?