Provides a deep dive into the evolutionary science behind why humans love to get drunk, and how alcohol and other intoxicants catalyzed and shaped civilization.
... absorbing ... None of these claims by itself is new, but Mr. Slingerland’s book-length synthesis is original ... He isn’t always careful to distinguish what degree of intoxication is beneficial, overplaying the so-called delights of oblivion...Exactly what degrees of drunkenness benefit us matters because, as Mr. Slingerland acknowledges toward the end of his book, the fact that alcohol has served us well historically doesn’t mean that it continues to do so now ... Although Mr. Slingerland ultimately provides balance, most of the time his arguments read more like those of a defendant than an impartial judge. This leads him to add some dodgy data to his dossier ... Mr. Slingerland makes a compelling case that human societies have been positively shaped by alcohol, although the conclusion that 'we could not have civilization without intoxication' is too strong. It’s pure speculation to suggest that without liquor we’d not have found other ways to bond, build trust and alleviate stress. While it’s refreshing to see that demon drink has angelic qualities, the bitter truth is that its dark side now threatens to overshadow them. We may have started relaxing with Dr. Jekyll, but we risk ending up wasted with Mr. Hyde.
There is serious anthropology here, including the tantalizing theory that beer, not bread, was the stimulus for the agricultural revolution. Slingerland’s informal, conversational style weaves modern scientific studies with ancient mythology ... An illuminating yet conversational study that takes an anthropological approach to a widespread and often puzzling human behavior.
... effervescent ... a rowdy banquet of a book in which the ancient Roman historian Tacitus, Lord Byron, Timothy Leary, George Washington, the Chinese poet Tao Yuanming and many others toast the merits of drowning Apollonian reason in Dionysian abandon ... Slingerland is adamant that chemically induced communion is just as valuable (and perhaps particularly necessary) in modern times, but he does address alcohol’s more obvious medical and economic costs, the devastating effects of addiction and the subtle, pernicious ways in which drinking can alienate and exclude outsiders. Some readers might find the treatment cursory given the gravity of these issues, but Slingerland simply argues that they have been well documented, whereas serious scholarly work on the value of intoxication is surprisingly scant ... Slingerland takes up the cause with all the chivalry of a knight-errant, and his infectious passion makes this book a romp as well as a refreshingly erudite rejoinder to the prevailing wisdom.
