The Ethics of Food: A Reader for the Twenty-First Century

by Gregory E. Pence (Editor), Ronald Bailey Reason (Contribution by), Wendell Berry (Contribution by), Norman Borlaug (Contribution by), M F. K. Fisher (Contribution by)

Overview

Food makes philosophers of us all. Death does the same. .. but death comes only once. .. and choices about food come many times each day. In The Ethics of Food, Gregory E. Pence brings together a collection of voices who share the view that the ethics of genetically modified food is among the most pressing societal questions of our time. This comprehensive collection addresses a broad range of subjects, including the meaning of food, moral analyses of vegetarianism and starvation, the safety and environmental risks of genetically modified food, issues of global food politics and the food industry, and the relationships among food, evolution, and human history. Will genetically modified food feed the poor or destroy the environment? Is it a threat to our health? Is the assumed healthfulness of organic food a myth or a reality? The answers to these and other questions are engagingly pursued in this substantive collection, the first of its kind to address the broad range of philosophical, sociological, political, scientific, and technological issues surrounding the ethics of food.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742513334
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/29/2001
Pages:	350
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Gregory E. Pence is a medical ethicist with twenty years of experience reviewing significant cases in bioethics, and is professor in the School of Medicine and the Department of Philosophy at the University of Alabama. Pence has contributed to theNew York Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and the Journal of the American Medical Association. He is the author of Classical Cases in Medical Ethics: Accounts of the Cases that Shaped Medical Ethics, 3rd edition (2000) and Who's Afraid of Human Cloning? (1998).

Table of Contents

Part 1 Part I: The Meaning of Food Chapter 2 A Thing Shared Chapter 3 How We Grow Food Reflects Our Virtues and Vices Part 4 Part II: Eating Meat Chapter 5 Animal Liberation and Vegetarianism Chapter 6 Meat Is Good for You Part 7 Part III: Starvation Chapter 8 Lifeboat Ethics: The Case against Helping the Poor Chapter 9 Golden Rice Is Fool's Gold Chapter 10 Are We Going Mad? Part 11 Part IV: Safety of Genetically Modified Foods Chapter 12 The Unholy Alliance Chapter 13 The FDA's Volte-Face on Food Biotech Chapter 14 Dr. Strangelunch: Why Should We Learn to Love Genetically Modified Food Part 15 Part V: Benefits / Dangers of Organic Food Chapter 16 Organically or Genetically Modified Food: Which Is Better? Chapter 17 The Benefits of Organic Food Part 18 Part VI: Genetically Modified Food and Environmental Risks Chapter 19 Genetic Engineering and Food Security Chapter 20 GM Is the Best Option We Have Part 21 Part VII: Food Biotechnology and Nature Chapter 22 Biotechnology's Negative Impact on World Agriculture Chapter 23 The Population / Diversity Paradox: Agricultural Efficiency to Save Wilderness Part 24 Part VIII: Global Food Politics and Economics Chapter 25 A Removable Feast Chapter 26 From Global to Local: Sowing the Seeds of Community Part 27 Part IX: The Food Industry Chapter 28 The Hamburger Bacteria Chapter 29 The United States Food Safety System

Editorial Reviews

Both the publishers and the editor are to be commended for bringing together such diverse viewpoints in one, easy-to-read volume.

Experimental Agriculture

An excellent introduction for undergraduates. A broad range of problems is treated in an engaging and lucid manner. Nice bibliographies.

Dr. S. N. Fratantaro

Finally, we have a book that speaks to one of the most pressing, though under-examined, issues in our biotech age. Greg Pence has produced, again, a stimulating and timely text. Crisp and comprehensive in its approach, The Ethics of Food takes stock of the morally imperative questions surrounding food production, modification, and consumption, particularly their global impact upon ecosystems. The text offers a judicious menu of readings that articulate differing perspectives from various fields. Combining scholarship and access, this pioneering work insightfully underscores the ongoing tension between food biotechnologies and biodiversity, compelling us to move toward reasonable resolutions.

Michael Brannigan

Nicely produced.

Food Science and Technology

The reader is led to compellingly consider the pressing issues of starvation, the consumption of meat and the benefits and dangers of genetically modified food.

Science and Theology News

An excellent introduction for undergraduates. A broad range of problems is treated in an engaging and lucid manner. Nice bibliographies.

Both the publishers and the editor are to be commended for bringing together such diverse viewpoints in one, easy-to-read volume.

Finally, we have a book that speaks to one of the most pressing, though under-examined, issues in our biotech age. Greg Pence has produced, again, a stimulating and timely text. Crisp and comprehensive in its approach, The Ethics of Food takes stock of the morally imperative questions surrounding food production, modification, and consumption, particularly their global impact upon ecosystems. The text offers a judicious menu of readings that articulate differing perspectives from various fields. Combining scholarship and access, this pioneering work insightfully underscores the ongoing tension between food biotechnologies and biodiversity, compelling us to move toward reasonable resolutions.

Nicely produced.

The reader is led to compellingly consider the pressing issues of starvation, the consumption of meat and the benefits and dangers of genetically modified food.

From the Publisher