Exploring deep philosophical ideas, through food
I teach a number of philosophy courses that are often taken by non-philosophers, as well as introductory courses. While some students just get that in order to answer important questions about ethics/morality, we need an understanding of the good, many other seem to conclude that this abstract ‘meta’ discussion isn’t so important. I have found it helpful to use a light-hearted and seemingly unimportant debate to illustrate the importance of asking these ‘meta’, but what that seems to inspire passionate responses from almost everyone I pose the question to. So, how about you? Is a hotdog a sandwich?
Many students have very clear beliefs about the correct answer to this very important question. Clearly, they say, a hot dog cannot be a sandwich, that is why we call it a hotdog. Others insist that it most certainly is a sandwich, that it meets the criteria. But what then are the criteria for a sandwich? It seems about this there is much debate. So with this discussion we can explore ideas about opinion vs. argument, the importance of defining terms, and the complexity of answering a question about morality or ethics without a clear exploration of what counts as good.
This idea is actually the foundation of the class I am teaching on Food and the Good Life where we explore some often abstract and complex philosophical questions through debates about food that most can relate too.
TweetExample for "Exploring deep philosophical ideas, through food":
https://twitter.com/Phosphatide/status/974067376894328833
are you unsatisfied with current debates regarding what is or is not a sandwich? you should try using the cube rule for identifying what you’re eating!
— フォス (@Phosphatide) March 14, 2018
examples:
- pizza is a toast
- lasagna is a multi-decker sandwich
- pie is a calzone
- pie served as a slice is a taco pic.twitter.com/rGhXQUoe3u
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