Eighth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

The political philosophy and bioethics literature on healthy eating policy is dominated by the debate between paternalists (i.e. those who would like to limit individuals’ liberty in order to promote their well-being) and anti-paternalists (i.e. those who criticize “nanny state” policies and would like to protect individuals’ liberty). We argue that this debate neglects the role that perfectionism (i.e. privileging certain conceptions of the good life over others) and neutrality (i.e. the view that the state should remain neutral between different conceptions of the good life) covertly play in the arguments for and against healthy eating policy. In this talk, we forefront perfectionism and neutrality. We identify forms of diversity relevant to healthy eating policy, including different conceptions of health, different ways of valuing health, and diverse food practices rooted in religious, cultural and ethical diversity. We consider how, in light of this diversity, healthy eating policy can satisfy the demands of neutrality.