Is cultivated "meat" unnatural? Is meat today natural?

Episode summary

While many wonder about the technological hurdles preventing cultivated meat from entering commercial markets, fewer ask a more basic question: will people actually eat it, or will they find it too unnatural? In this episode, we're joined by Cor van der Weele, emeritus professor in philosophy from Wageningen University, who has had a front-row seat to the past 15 years of shifting perceptions of this technology. We'll dive into how a philosopher thinks about “naturalness”, what are the public concerns and the idealistic visions of a cultivated meat future, and why mixed feelings about this innovation could be a healthy sign of progress.

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About Cor van der Weele

Cor van der Weele is an emeritus professor of humanistic philosophy at Wageningen University and Research. She was trained as a biologist and a philosopher and wrote her PhD thesis in the philosophy of biology. Cor has been studying changing perceptions of meat and cultured meat for the last fifteen years, reflecting on the role of cultured meat in protein transition developments. More generally, she is interested in processes of societal change and mechanisms of selective attention. She has conducted some focus groups with citizens and reflected on their hopes, worries and other responses. In later focus groups she spoke with farmers, companies and other stakeholders, wondering if and how cultured meat might be an opportunity for farmers instead of a threat.