Edward Slingerland is Distinguished University Scholar and Professor of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia, with adjunct appointments in Psychology and Philosophy, as well as Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Human Evolution, Cognition and Culture and Director of the Database of Religious History. Slingerland is the author of Trying Not to Try, which was named one of the best books of 2014 by The Guardian and Brain Pickings and was the subject of a piece by John Tierney in the New York Times. He has given talks on the science and power of spontaneity at a variety of venues across the world, including TEDx Maastricht and two Google campuses, and has done numerous interviews on TV, radio, blogs, and podcasts, including NPR, the BBC World Service and the CBC.
"A rowdy banquet of a book...A refreshingly erudite rejoinder to
the prevailing wisdom."--New York Times
"A superb panoramic study of intoxication...capacious and wisely
humane."--The World of Fine Wine
"A witty and erudite homage to alcohol."--City Journal
"Elegant, well-argued, and occasionally dryly humorous."--Master of
Malt
"This enlightening and scientific book, which explains how alcohol
has lubricated innovation and social trust through history, is a
breath of unconventionality, and even risk-taking, in a North
American society that is increasingly fixating on puritanism,
'safetyism' and orthodoxy of opinion."--The Province
"Drunk induces a thrilling intellectual buzz. Edward Slingerland
plunges his bar spoon into the rich ethnographic, archaeological,
psychological, and historic literatures, stirs vigorously, and
produces a cocktail of brilliant and novel insights about the role
that alcohol played in the development of human civilization, and
its continued importance today. He's more entertaining than your
typical bartender, and the drink he's mixed is one we'll be
sipping, absorbing, and savoring for quite some time.
Cheers!"--Richard Sosis, coauthor of Religion Evolving, and James
Barnett Professor of Humanistic Anthropology, University of
Connecticut
"Drunk is a punchy and stimulating intellectual cocktail that takes
a fresh look at one of our species' most puzzling obsessions--our
routine consumption of sublethal dosages of a psychoactive poison.
Despite a deep erudition that effortlessly weaves together history,
anthropology, genetics, and chemistry, Slingerland's book feels
like a chat with an old friend over a couple of pints. You'll learn
a lot, but you won't notice, because you'll be so
entertained."--Joseph Henrich, author of The WEIRDest People in
World, and Professor and Chair of Human Evolutionary Biology at
Harvard University
"Drunk is one of those rare, enthralling books that is as
entertaining as it is enlightening. Slingerland's uproarious and
erudite exploration of the history, anthropology, and science of
intoxicants will revolutionize how you drink and think."--Daniel E.
Lieberman, Edwin M Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences at
Harvard University, and author of Exercised
"A brilliant and definitive book. Alcohol has been used and abused
by more people in more places at more times than all other
intoxicants combined. The story of drinking is, indeed, the story
of humanity, and Edward Slingerland tells it with endearing wit,
irreverence, wisdom, and profound insight. "--Wade Davis, author of
Magdalena: River of Dreams
"A fascinating account of our obsession with the demon
drink."--Iain Gately, author of Drink: A Cultural History of
Alcohol
"A spirited look at drinking"--Kirkus
"A witty and well-informed narrator, Slingerland ranges across a
wide range of academic fields to make his case. Readers will toast
this praiseworthy study."--Publishers Weekly
"Absorbing...Slingerland makes a compelling case that human
societies have been positively shaped by alcohol."--The Wall Street
Journal
"An eminently enjoyable, irreverent, and informative romp through
the world of intoxicants. Drunk is a milestone in the field."
--Brian Hayden, author of The Power of Feasts
"Compelling and, above all, a whole lot of irreverent
fun."--Smithsonian Magazine
"Cooperation on a large scale is vital to the success of
contemporary society. In this fascinating, funny and readable book,
Professor Slingerland presents the case that alcohol is part of a
cultural toolkit honed over thousands of years to help us all get
along in a complex world. Drunk shines a new light on our love-hate
relationship with booze."--Greg Wadley, University of Melbourne
"Does booze make us human? In this wide-ranging, provocative, and
very funny exploration, Edward Slingerland makes an excellent case
that intoxication is a powerful force for trust and love. From the
first paragraph about the appeal of masturbation, Twinkies, and
alcohol, to the rousing ending where Slingerland urges us to leave
a place for ecstasy in our lives, Drunk is a delight."--Paul Bloom,
author of Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion
"Engrossing. This heady book is best savored as a fresh take on a
contentious topic."--New Scientist
"Slingerland ... 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."--Jeffrey Meyer, Library Journal
"This book is a love letter to Dionysius. Even as it aroused
memories of patients whose lives were ruined by alcohol, Drunk made
me appreciate the value as well as the pleasure of drinking with
friends, and of reading wonderful books."--Randolph M. Nesse, M.D.,
author of Good Reasons for Bad Feelings, and Founding Director of
The Center for Evolution and Medicine at Arizona State
University
"To understand why people drink is to tap into the very core of
human experience. Professor Slingerland seamlessly weaves together
observations from a dizzying array of disciplines across the
sciences and humanities. In so doing, he provides provocative
insights regarding why we prize drinking and offers practical
suggestions about how we might drink responsibly and better
integrate drinking and nondrinking members of society. Read the
first few paragraphs and you will immediately realize that you are
in for a truly engrossing and delightful read! Read further and you
also realize that you're gaining a cutting-edge understanding of
both the pleasures and the hazards of drinking. Slingerland has
deftly managed to educate, surprise, and entertain while distilling
a complex alcohol literature to address just why we humans drink to
the point of intoxication."--Michael Sayette, PhD, Professor of
Psychology and Psychiatry, and Director of the Alcohol and Smoking
Research Laboratory, University of Pittsburgh
"Wide-ranging and provocative...Drunk helpfully synthesizes the
literature, then underlines its most radical implication: Humans
aren't merely built to get buzzed--getting buzzed helped humans
build civilization."--The Atlantic
"Witty, wise, effervescent, and slyly irreverent. This sparkling
chronicle belongs on the shelf of every thinking person who enjoys
a drink from time to time."--Janet Chrzan, author of Alcohol:
Social Drinking in Cultural Context
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