PHIL 1440

Last Updated

  • Schedule of Classes - April 13, 2023 2:00PM EDT
  • Course Catalog - April 12, 2023 7:14PM EDT

PHIL 1440
Ethics of Eating

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2022-2023.

We all face difficult moral decisions on occasion. This course introduces students to the idea that we face such a decision several times a day in deciding what to eat. How should facts about animal life and death inform this decision? Is the suffering involved in meat, egg, and dairy production really bad enough to make the practices immoral? How do our dietary choices affect local and non-local economies, the environment, and other people generally? Finally, given the deep connections between eating practices and various ethnic, religious and class identities, how can we implement a reasonable food policy for an expanding world population while also respecting these important differences? The goal of this course is not to teach some preferred set of answers to these questions. The goal is rather to give participants the basic tools required to reflect clearly and effectively on the questions themselves. These tools include a working knowledge of the major moral theories developed by philosophers, and an understanding of basic empirical issues related to food production, distribution, consumption, and disposal. In addition to readings, lectures, and required sections, the course will involve trips to some local food-production facilities, as well as supplemental lectures by experts from Cornell, Ithaca, and beyond.

When Offered Fall.

Distribution Category (ETM-AS, KCM-AS)
Course Attribute (CU-SBY)

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion.

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16875 PHIL 1440   LEC 001

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  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 17604 PHIL 1440   DIS 201

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  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 17605 PHIL 1440   DIS 202

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    • F Uris Hall G20
    • Aug 26, 2022

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 17799 PHIL 1440   DIS 203

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  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 17800 PHIL 1440   DIS 204

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  • Instruction Mode: In Person