Kant and Food

Synonyms

Aesthetics; Animals; Drunkenness; Gluttony; Gustatory appreciation; Indirect duties; Kant, Immanuel

Introduction

This entry examines the aesthetic and moral thought of Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) with regard to food ethics. Of relevance is three topics: first, why Kant interprets the acts of gluttony and drunkenness as vices; second, how Kant’s moral thought applies to the treatment of nonhuman animals (hereafter “animals”); and third, Kant’s aesthetic arguments on gustatory appreciation. These are discussed in succession below.

Gluttony and Drunkenness as Vices

Beginning with a selective overview of Kant’s moral thought will illuminate why gluttony and drunkenness are interpreted as vices. Fundamental to this overview is Kant’s perception of humankind as both animal and moral beings. Three predispositions of the human condition are identified accordingly: animality, humanity, and personality. Animality refers to “a physical and merely mechanical self-love” (Kant 2009, p. 28):...