5min chapter

#646: Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin — The Eleusinian Mysteries, Discovering the Divine, The Immortality Key, The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis, Lessons from Scholar Karen Armstrong, and Much More

The Tim Ferriss Show

notes

CHAPTER

The Word Farmakos in the Old Testament, Right?

Wine was routinely referred to as a drug from like the time of Homer to the fall of the Roman Empire. The word they use for wine is farmakos, right? So the word they use is is drug. And in fact, you can look at diascortes, who writes in the second half of the first century when the gospels are being written. They found actual traces of wine that seems to have been mixed with things like opium and cannabis and henbane and black nightshade.

00:00

Transcript

Episode notes

Brought to you by GiveWell.org charity research and effective giving and 5-Bullet Friday, my very own email newsletter.

Welcome to The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is usually my job to deconstruct world-class performers to tease out their routines, habits, et cetera that you can apply to your own life.

This time around, we have a very special edition featuring Dr. Mark Plotkin and Brian C. Muraresku.

Mark takes over my duties as host and interviews Brian for an episode of the Plants of the Gods podcast. You, my dear listeners, are hearing the audio before anyone else, so this is a Tim Ferriss Show exclusive. I’ve previously featured some of my favorite episodes from that podcast at tim.blog/plantsofthegods. These episodes cover a lot of fascinating ground.

So, who is Dr. Mark Plotkin? Mark (@DocMarkPlotkin) is an ethnobotanist who serves as president of the Amazon Conservation Team, which has partnered with ~80 tribes to map and improve management and protection of ~100 million acres of ancestral rainforests. He is best known to the general public as the author of the book Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice, one of the most popular books ever written about the rainforest. His most recent book is The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know. You can find my interview with Mark at tim.blog/markplotkin.

And the guest today is Brian C. Muraresku. Who is Brian? Brian (@BrianMuraresku) graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University with a degree in Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit. The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name is Brian’s debut book. In 2020, it became a New York Times bestseller, and Audible named it “Best of 2020” in the History category. His website is brianmuraresku.com. You can also find him on Instagram @brian_muraresku.

This is a tightly packed 55-minute interview. Mark and Brian cover the Eleusinian Mysteries, the pagan continuity hypothesis, early Christianity, lessons from famed religious scholar Karen Armstrong, overlooked aspects of influential philosopher William James’s career, ancient wine and ancient beer, experiencing the divine within us, the importance of “tikkun olam”—repairing and improving the world as we go—and much, much more.

Please enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by GiveWell.org ! For over ten years, GiveWell.org has helped donors find the charities and projects that save and improve lives most per dollar. GiveWell spends over 30,000 hours each year researching charitable organizations and only recommends a few of the highest-impact, evidence-backed charities they’ve found. In total, more than 100,000 people have used GiveWell to donate as effectively as possible.

This year, support the charities that save and improve lives most, with GiveWell. Any of my listeners who become new GiveWell donors will have their first donation matched up to $100 when you go to GiveWell.org and select “PODCAST” and “Tim Ferriss” at checkout.

This episode is also brought to you by 5-Bullet Friday, my very own email newsletter that every Friday features five bullet points highlighting cool things I’ve found that week, including apps, books, documentaries, gadgets, albums, articles, TV shows, new hacks or tricks, and—of course—all sorts of weird stuff I’ve dug up from around the world.

It’s free, it’s always going to be free, and you can subscribe now at tim.blog/friday.

[07:24] Who is Brian C. Muraresku?

[09:19] The Eleusinian mysteries.

[11:51] The ridicule of Carl Ruck.

[16:18] Why are these ideas only being accepted now?

[18:22] How the Eleusinian mysteries influenced Christianity.

[23:54] A mind-altering Eucharist?

[28:07] The role of beer and wine in the foundation of civilization.

[31:31] Patrick McGovern.

[33:33] Stoned apes and/or drunk monkeys?

[39:04] Changing attitudes at the Vatican.

[40:13] What’s going on at Harvard Divinity School today?