Food and meaning

Do we eat to live, or live to eat?

We need to eat to survive, but we also eat for enjoyment. Most of us would not give up eating even if we can get all our nutrition from pills. But is the pleasure of eating really valuable?

Philosophers on food

According to many philosophical traditions, the pleasure of eating is inferior to intellectual pleasure and other higher purposes, such as living a virtuous life.

In the famous allegory of the cave in Plato's Republic, Socrates thought that the desire for good food prevents us from achieving wisdom and knowledge:

those sensual pleasures, such as eating and drinking, which, like leaden weights, were attached to them at their birth, and which drag them down and turn the vision of their souls upon the things that are below.

The philosopher J.S. Mill has a famous distinction between higher and lower pleasures. He thought that higher pleasures that involve our intellectual faculties are more valuable. They are the pleasures we get from thinking and reasoning. Lower pleasures are pleasures of the body, such as sexual pleasure or the pleasure of eating. These we share with animals.

Here is a famous quote from Mill:

Few human beings would resign human for bestial pleasures … he can never really wish to sink into what he feels to be a lower grade of existence. … It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be a Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool or the pig thinks otherwise, it is because they have no experience of the better part.

Many Eastern philosophical traditions also adopt a similar position. Here are some quotes from Confucius suggesting that we should not be concerned with eating good food:

The object of the superior man is truth. Food is not his object.

The good man doesn’t eat to the full or live to the comfort. He will be wise in deeds and cautious in words.

A scholar, whose mind is set on truth, and who is ashamed of bad clothes and bad food, is not fit to be discoursed with.

As for Buddhism, one central message is that life is suffering. We are attached to different things in life. We suffer and become frustrated when our desires are not satisfied. Buddhism recommends that we end suffering by giving up our attachment. This would of course include giving up the desire for good food.

Eating and virtues

Eating is not just about taste. There is also a moral dimension. A simple example is being polite and considerate when we dine with others. The cultivation and enjoyment of friendship often depends on joint activities, such as eating and drinking together.

Aristotle has a very influential theory of virtues. His doctrine of the mean says that virtuous behavior requires doing the right thing between two extremes, avoiding deficiencies and excesses. Take bravery as an example. We admire bravery, but being excessively brave is stupid and reckless. At the same time we want to avoid the opposite extreme of being cowardly.

Eating is an opportunity to cultivate and practice virtues. Some people are too fussy or inflexible about what they eat. Some people are greedy and eat too much. Or they cannot resist unhealthy food. Some people focus too much on enjoying good food, and don’t think enough about other important values in life.

To cultivate virtues, we need to be more mindful of our mindset and behavior. Many authors have also emphasized the importance of mindfulness when it comes go eating:

Food politics

Food is a big part of the economy. 1/3 of the world's workers are in agriculture directly or indirectly. The food industry produces 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. Food is about inequality too. Some people eat too much. Others too little. We cannot make the world a better place without changing the food system. Discussion about food policies cannot avoid politics, or debates about freedom and democracy.

Most people take food for granted without much reflection. But food choices reflect our value and they constitute a form of political action. When we buy or eat something, we are casting our votes on what is acceptable.

What we need is conscientious and reflective eating - eating habits combined with critical thinking and philosophical reflection. Eating is not just about survival and enjoyment, but also about understanding and changing the world. Reflective eating helps us reject propaganda and misinformation. We can live a healthier and more meaningful life, and gain a deeper understanding of the world around us.

A short talk about food politics by Professor Marion Nestle: