The Case for Drinking Alcohol

About this episode

Edward Slingerland discusses the social implications of alcohol and its role in human civilization.

Most researchers who study alcohol focus on what it does to your body. Edward Slingerland is more interested in what it does to your friendships. In his book Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization, the University of British Columbia professor argues that alcohol has functioned for thousands of years as humanity's most important social lubricant, and that the modern war on drinking is costing us something we can't easily replace. He and Coleman dig into the anthropological origins of alcohol, why drinking has always been communal, and why giving it up isn't as simple as your doctor thinks. Slingerland argues the loneliness epidemic and the sobriety trend may not be a coincidence. They also touch on Slingerland's background in early Chinese philosophy, and the surprisingly direct path from ancient Daoist texts to a book about getting drunk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Coleman

Guest: Edward Slingerland

Topics covered

• alcohol
• friendship
• social lubricant
• loneliness epidemic
• sociology
• philosophy

Keywords

• alcohol
• friendship
• social lubricant
• loneliness
• Daoism
• sociology
• philosophy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of British Columbia

Books & works: Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization

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