How does alcohol, especially wine, foster our creativity, trustingness, and sociability? What does the “beer before bread” hypothesis suggest about alcohol's role in the development of civilization? Should there be different minimum drinking ages for wine and beer versus spirits?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Edward Slingerland, a professor of philosophy at the University of British Columbia and the author of Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks

Giveaway

One of you will win a bottle of Gary Farrell wine.

To qualify, all you have to do is email me at natalie@nataliemaclean.com and let me know that you've posted a review of the podcast. I'll choose one person randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!

Highlights

What drew Edward to study the history of drunkenness?

What does the “beer before bread” hypothesis suggest about how our desire to drink alcohol led to civilization?

Why was ancient beer production so costly?

What is the "Asian flushing syndrome" and why does Edward think it developed?

Why does Edward consider the prefrontal cortex to be the enemy of creativity?

How have we removed the inherent safety features of alcohol over thousands of years of evolution?

Should there be different minimum drinking ages for wine/beer versus spirits?

What makes wine the king of intoxicants?

How does alcohol affect the prefrontal cortex?

When does creativity peak relative to blood alcohol content?

Key Takeaways

Edward observes that alcohol stimulates the pro-social chemicals in our body, like serotonin and endorphin, that make us feel expansive and kind of feel good about ourselves and more kindly disposed toward other people. One of the brain regions that it quiets is the prefrontal cortex.

The traditional story is that alcohol is a result of an evolutionary or historical accident. But since then, archeologists believe that maybe the story was the other way around. The draw for hunter-gatherers to settle down and cultivate crops was not bread. It was beer. This is the so-called beer before bread hypothesis.

Edward observes that once distilled liquors became available on a large scale, the dangers of alcohol in the super potent form became greater because it can overwhelm our system and you can go from being sober to being really dangerously drunk in 10 or 15 minutes. Edward doesn’t think people should be allowed to drink distilled liquor until well into their 20s.

About Edward Slingerland

Edward Slingerland is a Distinguished University Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia, where he also holds appointments in the Departments of Psychology and Asian Studies. He is also Director of the Database of Religious History. Dr. Slingerland is the author of several academic monographs and edited volumes, a major translation of the Analects of Confucius, and approximately fifty book chapters, reviews, and articles in top academic journals in a wide range of fields.

To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/300.

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