Cooking, Eating, Thinking: Transformative Philosophies of Food [Paperback]

Deane W. Curtin (Author), Lisa M. Heldke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 1992

Philosophy has often been criticized for privileging the abstract; this volume attempts to remedy that situation. Focusing on one of the most concrete of human concerns, food, the editors argue for the existence of a philosophy of food. The collection provides various approaches to the subject matter, offering new readings of a number of texts—religious, philosophical, anthropological, culinary, poetic, and economic. Included are readings ranging from Plato's Phaedo and Verses of Sen-No-Rikyu to Peter Singer's "Becoming a Vegetarian" and Jean-François Revel's Culture and Cuisine.

This reader will have particular appeal for philosophers working in social theory, feminist theory, and environmental ethics, and for those working on alternative approaches to such traditional subject areas as epistemology, aesthetics, and metaphysics.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

DEANE W. CURTIN, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Gustavus Adolphus College, has published in the areas of philosophy of art and environmental ethics. LISA M. HELDKE, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Gustavus Adolphus College, writes and teaches in the area of pragmatist feminism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press; First Edition edition (August 22, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253207045
• ISBN-13: 978-0253207043
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #848,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great synthesis of post-modern, feminist, Zen thought, January 2, 2002

By 

Kristian Perry "Kristian Perry" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cooking, Eating, Thinking: Transformative Philosophies of Food (Paperback)

This book is an excellent collection of essays from a wide variety of philosophers. This is certainly not a self-help book or an inspirational collection - it a thoughtful exploration of how the acts of cooking, eating, and thinkning have implications in feminist, post-modern, and Zen philosophy. Some of my favorite essays looked at how cooking is goverened by social power relationships, how one's diet is a political act, and how eating is an integral part of a person's understanding of Self and Other. I really dug this book. Finally, the title is a great play on Martin Heidegger's "Building, Dwelling, Thinking". Check them both out!

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is charged with fallacies., August 21, 2011

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Re-Renaissance - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cooking, Eating, Thinking: Transformative Philosophies of Food (Paperback)

I do Not recommend this book. The content has a lot of fallacies, no sound facts or scientific solid comparison reviews to back what the authors are claiming. i.e. "the book says that "the areas with animals that are destined for human comsuption" are responsible for de-forestation", but had they thought what huge "de-forestation" would also be needed in the whole planet to feed the entire world population with just vegetables?!, the damage to the ecology would be so masive, and hunger would also increase even more all over the places since humans need to consume LOTS of vegetables to keep in 'good performance' conditions and to pass those vital heathly genes to our future generations. Since millions of years ago, we, humans beings are what we are now and have survived since we were and are omnivores meaning that we can adapt and survice many nature challenges. When I read this book, and others like it, I always wonder who is silently paying or encouraging these kind of behavior and 'fashion', is that China?, trying to sell more of their soya products to make us poor?, is that India to let us weaken year after year while most of them eat lots of meats more and more?, who?, PLEASE WAKE UP, you can do better than this!. Think!, do not believe everything you hear and beware of the intense silent but strong political and phylosophical manipulation through plenty of fallacies that some emerging powers are finally succeding to grow within our society.