Philosophical and psychological perspectives on the interaction between ethical and aesthetic value in food

The aim of this thesis is to integrate philosophical and psychological approaches to develop new interdisciplinary perspectives on the interaction between ethical and aesthetic (in the sense of gustatory) value in the food domain. This overarching aim of the thesis may be restated as exploring whether, and if so, how, a food’s ethical status affects its aesthetic evaluation. The thesis approaches this overarching aim by addressing two related questions: First, on what conceptual basis might ethical-aesthetic value interaction in food be possible? And second, to the extent that such interaction is possible, what is the nature of this interaction from an empirical perspective? The first question is primarily addressed by way of philosophical analysis, while the second question is primarily addressed by conducting empirical studies. Chapter One addresses the question of on what conceptual basis ethical-aesthetic value interaction in food might be possible, by exploring the applicability of the existing philosophical debate on ethical-aesthetic value interaction in art to the case of food. The chapter closes with the suggestion that ethical-aesthetic value interaction in food might be possible in cases where morally relevant aspects of food production leave a perceptible trace in the food. Chapters Two and Three investigate the empirical evidence for ethical-aesthetic value interaction in food. Chapter Two details a systematic review of the existing empirical literature on the effect of ethical information on taste evaluation, while Chapter Three reports a set of three empirical studies the findings of which did not support the hypothesis that perceptible traces establish ethical-aesthetic value interaction in food. Chapters Four and Five explore whether ethical-aesthetic value interaction in food might be established if it could be determined that the ethical status of food affects specifically aesthetic engagement with food. Chapter Four argues that food experiences can indeed be aesthetic, and Chapter Five explores empirically whether ethical labelling affects specifically aesthetic ways of engaging with food. The sixth and final chapter provides a synthesis of findings and reflects on the interdisciplinary methodology of the thesis. It concludes that, even though the empirical results of Chapter Five suggest that a food’s ethical status may affect its aesthetic evaluation, there is ultimately no aesthetically appropriate conceptual basis that could sustain the conclusion that this empirical evidence amounts to genuine ethical-aesthetic value interaction in food.