Prof. W. Scott Cleveland explains how food and alcohol can either undermine or promote true happiness, arguing that gluttony is a disordered desire for the pleasures of eating and drinking that disrupts health, friendship, and virtuous living rather than their proper role in a flourishing, festal life.

This lecture was given on November 13th, 2025, at University of Alabama.

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About the Speakers:

Professor Scott Cleveland received his PhD in philosophy (Baylor University) and is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Catholic Studies at the University of Mary (Bismarck, ND). His research interests are in ethics, moral psychology, and philosophy of religion. He is especially interested in the study of virtues and emotions, the relation between the two, and the role of each in the moral and intellectual life. His thought is deeply influenced by Aristotle and Aquinas and his work has appeared in journals such as American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly, Res Philosophica, Religious Studies, Religions, and the Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association. He is the co-editor with Adam Pelser of Faith and Virtue Formation: Essays in Aid of Becoming Good with Oxford University Press.

Keywords: Alcohol And Sobriety, Aquinas On Gluttony, Aristotelian Eudaimonia, Ethics Of Eating, Feasting And Festivity, Food And Friendship, Gluttony And Virtue, Vices Of Eating And Drinking

How to Avoid Being Unhappy: Gluttony and the Proper Place of Food and Alcohol in the Good Life – Prof. W. Scott Cleveland

The Thomistic Institute