Synonyms
Introduction
What is food? Central to any discussion of philosophy of food is a description of what the term “food” can mean. One way to conceptualize food is by reference to its intended use, to look at the ends to which food is put. This is an explicitly teleological approach, by which a thing, in this case food, is made sensible by reference to the goal and outcome that a user has for the given thing. On the teleological account, an action becomes sensible by recognizing three things – the reasons that a person has for acting, their action, and the outcomes of that action (Henschke 2012, pp. 58–60). This entry makes sense of food by reference to the different outcomes that a person might have for food.
A specific case example of a specific food type, bread, is used through this entry. Six purposes for food are described: basic survival, quality of life, pleasure, personal relationships, cultural expression, and trade. Note...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Buttriss, J. (2005). Strategies designed to increase awareness about folates and health, and to increase folate intake: A review. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 16(6–7), 246–252. doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2005.03.012.
Connors, M., Bisogni, C. A., Sobal, J., & Devine, C. M. (2001). Managing values in personal food systems. Appetite, 36(3), 189–200. doi:10.1006/appe.2001.0400.
Henschke, A. (2012). Making sense of animal disenhancement. NanoEthics, 6(1), 55–64. doi:10.1007/s11569-012-0140-8.
Higman, B. W. (2012). How food made history. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell.
Joint FAO/WHO/UNU Expert Consultation. (2004). Human energy requirements. Rome: FAO, United Nations.
Kaidar-Person, O., Person, B., Szomstein, S., & Rosenthal, R. J. (2008). Nutritional deficiencies in morbidly obese patients: A new form of malnutrition? Obesity Surgery, 18(8), 1028–1034. doi:10.1007/s11695-007-9350-5.
Kessler, D. (2009). The end of overeating. New York: Rodale Books.
Korsgaard, C. M. (2009). Self-constitution: Agency, identity, and integrity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Korsmeyer, C. (2007). Delightful, delicious, disgusting. In F. Allhoff & D. Monroe (Eds.), Food & philosophy: Eat, think and be merry. Malden: Blackwell.
Masset, E. (2011). A review of hunger indices and methods to monitor country commitment to fighting hunger. Food Policy, 36(Supplement 1(0)), S102–S108. doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2010.11.007.
Müller, O., & Krawinkel, M. (2005). Malnutrition and health in developing countries. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 173(3), 279–286. doi:10.1503/cmaj.050342.
Nestel, P., Bouis, H. E., Meenakshi, J. V., & Pfeiffer, W. (2006). Biofortification of staple food crops. The Journal of Nutrition, 136(4), 1064–1067.
Pollan, M. (2008). In defence of food. New York: Penguin.
Roberts, P. (2008). The end of food: The coming crisis in the world food industry. London: Bloomsbury.
The World Bank. (2012). AgResults: Innovation in research and delivery. Retrieved April 17, 2013, from http://web.worldbank.org/.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/ORGANIZATION/CFPEXT/0, contentMDK:23005969 pagePK:64060249 piPK:64060294 theSitePK:299948,00.html.
Thompson, P. (2010). The agrarian vision: Sustainability and environmental ethics. Lexington: Kentucky University Press.
Wansink, B. (2006). Mindless eating: Why eat more than we think. New York: Bantam Books.
Wisor, S. (2012). How should INGOs allocate resources? Ethics and Global Politics, 5(1), 27–48. doi:10.3402/egp.v5i1.8287.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this entry
Cite this entry
Henschke, A. (2013). Food’s Purposes. In: Thompson, P., Kaplan, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6167-4_204-3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6167-4_204-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6167-4
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities