The Virtues of the Table

Julian Baggini has that rare but wonderful gift of being able to be at once profound and highly entertaining. This remarkable book combines the pleasures of the table with those of philosophy, and once again this most engaging of philosophers has achieved a perfect balance. Marvellous -- Alexander McCall Smith Excellent. By examining the virtues of all aspects of food, a very broad approach, the author cuts through all the myths, confusion and lazy thinking with a precision and humour that enables the reader to think and eat better. If you care about what you eat then you need to buy this book -- Charlie Hicks, presenter of Radio 4s Veg Talk [Baggini is] a serious thinker and a fluent writer... This book might cause you to look again at some of the choices you make about what to eat, and how you go about eating it -- Erica Wagner * Financial Times * Eating and thinking, both vital. If one goes down, the other will restore. A wonderful book -- Fergus Henderson Engaging and cleverly illustrated... A beguiling mix of insights from philosophy, psychology and sociology -- Cain Todd * TLS * Julian dances through the complex ethical dilemmas around food. With a practical and deeply human philosophy, his razor-sharp intellect brings clarity to our daily lunchtime choices. In a challenging and inspirational tour of allotments, supermarkets and dinner tables, Baggini puts philosophy into our reach: The Virtues of the Table could sit happily alongside the recipe books in everyone's kitchen -- Harriet Lamb, CEO of Fairtrade International Baggini's The Virtues of the Table is a virtuoso feast for the mind and soul. A lively, thought provoking read. Bite-sized but filling, this delightful volume is sure to satisfy the philosopher and foodie in us all -- Francine Segan, author * The Philosopher's Kitchen * In this book, Baggini serves up a refreshingly new approach to the often familiar and pressing issues behind the food we eat. It is surprisingly free from dogma, imploring us to be virtuous rather than rigid in our food choices. It charts one man's journey through the moral maize of gastronomy with compelling and mouth-wateringly informative prose. A must-read for thinking food lovers everywhere -- Philip Lymbery, Chief Executive Compassion in World Farming Raymond Aron told Jean-Paul Sartre that according to his philosophy, Sartre ought to be able to philosophise about a cocktail. Yet Sartre never quite managed to say anything very illuminating about drink or food. Julian Baggini has triumphed where Sartre failed: he has written brilliantly about food and drink in all their cultural, scientific and philosophical complexity. Written in Baggini's typically limpid and effortlessly readable style, The Virtues of the Table is a wonderful book -- full of wisdom, information and (in a particularly nice touch) a well-chosen recipe for each chapter. Anyone who has ever thought about the meaning and significance of what we eat and drink will want to devour this book -- Tim Crane, Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy, University of Cambridge Entertaining [and] thought-provoking * Bookseller * Baggini expertly dismantles self-congratulatory assumptions about the evils of large industry and chain restaurants or the superiority of organic food and local eating -- Steven Poole * Guardian * Thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking * Irish Independent * This is interesting stuff and shows Baggini at his best, drawing from a glorious range of sources to produce engaging thought -- Alex Renton * Observer * Baggini brilliantly picks apart the contradictions and inherent hypocrisies of the 'new food orthodoxies'.... Even-handed to the last -- Roger Lewis * The Times * A great success -- Tom Payne * Daily Telegraph * He combines scrupulous argument with fastidious respect for common sense * Wall Street Journal * Each chapter ends with a mouth-watering description, not strictly a recipe, of how to prepare a wholes

JULIAN BAGGINI (www.julianbaggini.com) is Founding Editor of The Philosophers' Magazine. His books include Welcome to Everytown: A Journey into the English Mind, What's It All About?: Philosophy and the Meaning of Life, the bestselling The Pig that Wants to be Eaten, Do They Think You're Stupid? and The Ego Trick, all published by Granta Books.