Shapin, Steven

Eating and Being: A History of Ideas about Our Food and Ourselves

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ISBN 13:
9780226832210
author:
Shapin, Steven
format:
Hardback
publisher:
University of Chicago Press
language:
English
Publication Year:
2024
Pages:
560
Dimensions:
21.3 x 15.5 x 3.6 centimetres (0
Genre:
Science, Medical, Nutrition,
Condition:
New
Availability:
Item usually sent within 10 working days
£27.68

Description

Eating and Being: A History of Ideas about Our Food and Ourselves by Steven Shapin explores the complex relationship between what we eat and who we are. From antiquity to the late eighteenth century, a branch of medicine known as dietetics played a significant role in shaping Western thinking about food, eating, and knowledge. This approach, which prescribed not only what to eat but also how to live, blurred the lines between medicine and morality. The shift from dietetics to nutrition science in the nineteenth century marked a significant turning point, as the language of traditional dietetics gave way to a vocabulary of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and calories. This change fundamentally altered how we think about our food and its powers, our bodies, and our minds. Shapin's book invites us to reflect on what it means to feel about food in the present day, and how our understanding of eating has evolved over time. Through this rich history, Shapin evokes what it felt like to eat during another historical period, offering a nuanced exploration of the complex and often contradictory ways in which we think about food and ourselves.

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