Food for thought: Philosophers Kant, Nietzsche on nutrition

Prioritising senses

Of course, Kant isn't the first – or only – philosopher to draw a connection between a philosopher's thoughts and the food they consume.

However, his contributions are particularly interesting because he emphasised the importance of the mind in relation to human behaviour while still advocating for the care of the body.

Kant didn't go as far as agreeing with Ludwig Feuerbach's statement that "man is what he eats."

The idealistic philosopher, who authored the Critique of Judgment, didn't care to explore the sense of taste, as he believed that the pleasure derived from taste is not related to our ability to 'know' in any general way. It only allows for value judgments specific to the individual.

This was unsatisfactory for a philosopher focused on true, comprehensive knowledge, which he believed could only be found in universals.

As such, Kant prioritised other senses, which could produce generalisable judgements that are essential for attaining the true, the just, or the beautiful.

However, Kant did see a connection between a person's diet and their being.

In The Doctrine of Virtue, Part II of his Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant dedicated a chapter to the exhaustion of the self by overindulgence in pleasures or forms of nutrition.

Here, Kant associated gluttony and drunkenness with moral shortcomings, considering them ways of neglecting one's duties to oneself.

He believed that excessive consumption is an abuse of pleasure that impairs our rational ability.

"Gluttony and drunkenness are vices," he wrote. "A human being who is drunk is like a mere animal, not to be treated as a human being. When stuffed with food he is in a condition in which he is incapacitated, for a time, for actions that would require him to use his powers with skill and deliberation."

Moral dimensions

Kant was well-known for his dining rituals, his careful consideration of his meals, and his keenness to have one or more guests join him at the dining table.

He did not see these habits as mere nutritional habits, but rather as having moral dimensions.

There is something in banquets, he wrote, that "aims at a moral end, beyond mere physical well-being: it brings a number of people together for a long time to converse with one another. And yet the very number of guests allows for only a little conversation, and so the arrangement is at variance with that end."

This is what prompted the philosopher to stop frequenting public dining places. But he remained keen on hosting guests for lunch on a daily basis.

Kant's work focused specifically on what he referred to as "dietetics," which he defined as "the art of preventing illnesses," in contrast to treatment or the art of healing.

Kant dedicates another chapter of one of his works to the strength that the human soul must have, through a considered, firm resolution, to control pathological sensations.

Kant explains that the stoic dietetics principle of sustine et abstine (endure and abstain) not only belongs to practical philosophy as a doctrine of virtue. It is also a science of medicine and treatment.

He concludes that dietetics is a philosophical science, operated by the power of a person's mind, which is the power to control and regulate their feelings and determine their way of life based on their own principles.

Although Kant established a link between nutrition and the mind, his perspective on the subject seems less than adequate. His emphasis on adhering to "rational orders" in dietary habits may not be the most essential factor to consider, here.

Thus, despite his interest in certain dietary regimens or rituals, Kant's approach falls short of an actual critique of nutritional reasoning.

Then came Nietzsche, who advanced the discussion significantly.

Nutrition and mental energy

More than any other philosopher, Nietzsche underlined the major influence of nutritional regimens on human life, particularly in terms of thought, behaviour, and appetite for life.

He questioned whether there is enough awareness of the moral impact of foods and whether there is a philosophy of nutrition, noting that the debates about vegetarianism indicate the absence of such a philosophy.

Nietzsche saw nutrition as a way to speciate human beings, writing: "Stupidity in the kitchen: [...] through the entire lack of reason in the kitchen — the development of mankind has been longest retarded and most interfered with: even today matters are very little better."

Unlike Kant, who believed that a person must control their nature lest it control them, Nietzsche frowned upon the idea of an abstract mind in the kitchen that dictated rules and imposed a "diet system".

In Behold the Man!, the German philosopher starts by emphasising the importance of nutrition not only in shaping a person's actions and behaviour but also in providing vital strength and energy.

He writes: "How precisely must one nourish oneself in order to attain to one's maximum of power or virtue?"

Here, Nietzsche intentionally uses the word virtù, making it clear that he is not referring to morality and behaviour, but rather to the word's Renaissance-era meaning of skill and strength – before it became associated solely with vertu (virtue and chivalry).

Perhaps he aimed to move beyond Kant's perspective that limits the connection of nutrition to morality, delving into its profound philosophical dimension instead.

Accepting fate

Nietzsche believed that we do not choose our diets; we can only find out what meets the needs of our organic systems.

Our focus on nutrition should be a real-world demonstration of accepting and "loving" fate (amor fati) and an invitation to "become what one is".

This shouldn't be interpreted as a call for fatalism, but rather as an invitation to embrace the strength of affirmation that comes with saying 'yes' rather than giving in to the weakness of denial or saying 'no'.

To understand this, it may be helpful to remember that Nietzsche believed his reality (as a person) is his reality as a sick man. There is no moral imperative or elevation, no escape from fate.

However, this does not mean that change is impossible. Amor fati does not mean submission and defeat. As we read in Twilight of the Idols, "that which does not kill [man] makes him stronger."

Nutrition is a philosophy that understands what is best for the body, which Nietzsche refers to as "the dimensions of the stomach."

It is a desire to "become oneself," and it involves making necessary choices rather than arbitrary ones, or ones based on morals that sacrifice health and beauty, as such turning the virtù into vertu, and self-improvement into refinement and oppression of the body.

Most importantly, the nutritional system does not follow dietary trends or standards imposed on the body without regard for its own particular needs. Instead, it is an effort to elevate the mind to its highest potential.

Nutrition is not about striving for a distant external goal, but rather an interpretation of the body's current state – and what it demands.