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 tell us about the place of food in culture and the problems humans have had with food?

3. How did the US food system develop? What are some of its characteristic problems from political, environmental, and social justice perspectives?

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

5. How do "food ways" and gastronomy shape food cultures?

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

7. How is cuisine connected to power, religion, and cosmology?

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

9. How do our food choices raise aesthetic questions and questions about subjective satisfaction? How does the history of gastronomy inform this question?

10. What is a nutritious diet?

11. What is a practical diet?

12. What is a satisfying diet?