An Empire of Intoxication

(on addiction, patriarchy, and sobering up from the whole catastrophe)

[art: Brugel the Elder]

One of the debates about civilization’s origins is whether or not it was incited by bread or beer. Which of these substances so captivated the compulsions of our ancient ancestors that they abandoned Eden and their blissful lives as hunter-gatherers to work in the fields all day long to grow the grains they needed to grind.

I am currently reading a trio of books that explore this issue from different perspectives: Against the Grain by James C. Scott, Drunk by Edward Slingerland, and Sweetness and Power by Sidney W. Mintz.