Coffee: Philosophy For Everyone, Grounds For Debate

From the storied history of the world's obsession with the stimulating brew, to an exploration of J%C3%BCrgen Habermas' dissection of the public sphere as it relates to coffee drinkers, to the declension of standards of "Fair Trade" labeling, this snappy volume reaches in every direction for the truth when it comes to how thinking people, particularly in the U.S., relate to coffee, both philosophically and practically. In interesting, educational, and often funny selections, we learn facts both surprising (most coffee farmers and people living in coffee-growing regions have no idea why anyone would want to drink the stuff) and rudimentary. On the dark side, contributions that deal with the ethics of coffee consumption lead to a better understanding of what fair trade means for farmers and why it's important. On the light side, future coffee snobs will learn how to tell the difference between their roasts (and will be introduced to a $100/pound bean). This is more sociology than philosophy, but a smattering of deep (enough) thoughts from the likes of Hume, Bourdieu, Kant, and others will keep true addicts%E2%80%94of both coffee and philosophy%E2%80%94stimulated. (Mar.)