Join philosopher and popular writer Julian Baggini as he delves into the vital connections between our food choices and broader philosophical themes. He discusses the complexities of modern food systems, questioning capitalism’s role in exploitation. Baggini highlights environmental issues like destructive fishing practices and emphasizes the urgent need for systemic changes to combat food waste and injustices faced by farmers. His insights prompt listeners to reflect on ethics, sustainability, and the significance of conscious eating in today’s world.
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insights INSIGHT
Complexity of Modern Food Production
Most crops are grown as commodities, not directly as food, and turn into processed ingredients before consumption.
Animal farming often relies on resource-heavy feed like soy, contributing indirectly to deforestation and ecological damage.
insights INSIGHT
Food System's Hidden Crisis
The global food system produces more calories than needed but still undernourishes and overnourishes about two-thirds of people.
It drives biodiversity loss and greenhouse gases, and current practices are unsustainable despite appearances of success.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Principle of Plurality in Farming
Embrace multiple food production approaches instead of demanding one-size-fits-all solutions.
Different regions and crops require tailored methods like organic, conventional, or mixed farming for sustainability.
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In this wide-ranging and definitive book, philosopher Julian Baggini delves into the best and worst food practices in various societies around the world, past and present. He examines cutting-edge technologies like new farming methods, cultured meat, GM food, and astronaut food, as well as the ethics and health implications of ultra-processed food and aquaculture. Baggini also critiques the effectiveness of food governance, the challenges of food wastage, and the effects of commodification. The book advocates for a sustainable and equitable global food system fit for the twenty-first century and beyond.
Food is one of the most universal and essential parts of human life. From gourmet steaks to the everyday, humble, packet of crisps, food consumption is everywhere. But what do we actually know about how our food is grown? How is it processed? And how does it ends up on our supermarket shelves or in our restaurants and takeaways? While we may look back and think traditional food customs are more often in harmony with the natural environment, most of us today rely on a complex global food web of production, distribution, consumption and disposal. But how does it work, and what can philosophy say about food?
Joining our discussion on food philosophy today is philosopher Julian Baggini. Baggini is an expert in popular philosophy with Sunday Times best-selling books such as How the World Thinks, How to Think Like a Philosopher and The Pig That Wants to be Eaten. He has served as the academic director of the Royal Institute of philosophy and is a member of the Food Ethics Council. He has written for The Guardian, the Times Literary Supplement, the Financial Times, and Prospect Magazine, as well as a plethora of academic journals and think tanks.
In his wide-ranging and definitive new book, How the World Eats, Baggini argues that the need for a better understanding of how we feed ourselves has never been more urgent. Baggini delves into the best and worst food practises around the world in a huge array of different societies, past and present-exploring cutting edge technologies, the ethics and health of ultra processed food and the effectiveness of our food governance. His goal: to extract a food philosophy of essential principles, on which to build a food system fit for the 21st century and beyond. What is that food philosophy? Let's tuck in, and find out.
The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast 
