Telfer, Food for Thought

PHIL 150, Introduction to philosophy, Fall 2026

1 Introduction

Our goal today: From reading to writing

2 Food as art

¶1

• What’s the answer?
• What’s the question?
• What’s the problem?
• What are the four things the author says she’s going to do?

3 Aesthetic reactions

What is an aesthetic reaction?

• Must it be intense?
• Must it involve analysis?
• Must it be pleasurable?
• Is it objective?
• In what sense does it involve a judgment?

4 Food and aesthetic reaction

• Can food provoke aesthetic reactions? pt. 2
  • Tastes and smells provoke aesthetic reactions
  • Non-instrumental interest
  • Objectivity

5 Works of art

• Can food be a ‘work of art’?
• What is a ‘work of art’?
  • Three definitions:
    • Classifying definition 1
    • Classifying definition 2
    • Evaluative definition

6 The ontology of works of art

• What is a work of art?
• What is a meal or a dish?
• What do we appreciate when we appreciate a meal or a dish?

7 Summary

Five written artifacts:

1. Answer, question, problem
2. Definition of an aesthetic reaction
3. Argument that food provokes an aesthetic reaction
4. Definition(s) of a work of art
5. Argument that food is/can be a work of art

8 Mechanics of essay-writing

• Essay-level mechanics
• Paragraph-level mechanics
  • Answer
  • Question
  • Problem
  • Alternative
  • Reply