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How Beer Gave Us Civilization
Hugh Pickens writes "Jeffrey P. Khan writes in the NY Times about how recent anthropological research suggests that human's angst of anxiety and depression ultimately results from our transformation, over tens of thousands of years, from biologically shaped, almost herd-like prehistoric tribes, to rational and independent individuals in modern civilization. The catalyst for suppressing the rigid social codes that kept our clans safe and alive was fermented fruit or grain. 'Once the effects of these early brews were discovered, the value of beer must have become immediately apparent,' writes Khan. 'With the help of the new psychopharmacological brew, humans could quell the angst of defying those herd instincts. Conversations around the campfire, no doubt, took on a new dimension: the painfully shy, their angst suddenly quelled, could now speak their minds.' Examining potential beer-brewing tools in archaeological remains from the Natufian culture in the Eastern Mediterranean, the team concludes that 'brewing of beer was an important aspect of feasting and society in the Late Epipaleolithic' era. In time, humans became more expansive in their thinking, as well as more collaborative and creative. A night of modest tippling may have ushered in these feelings of freedom — though, the morning after, instincts to conform and submit would have kicked back in to restore the social order. Today, many people drink too much because they have more than average social anxiety or panic anxiety to quell — disorders that may result, in fact, from those primeval herd instincts kicking into overdrive. But beer's place in the development of civilization deserves at least a raising of the glass. As the ever rational Ben Franklin supposedly said, 'Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.'"
Dogs, language, agriculture, evolution... the difficult part is saying what didn't give us civilization.
"To alcohol! The cause of--and solution to--all of life's problems." Homer (the one not from Greece).
The real reason beer was important was that it was clean water. brewing beer kills off most of the bad things in fresh water supplies.
Lower inhibitions isn't a factor until after we had started forming cities and groups of more than a couple hundred.
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
For those who want to know more, I just read this interesting and quite complete book on the archeology of alcohol. It would be worth a book review on /., but I'm not good at writing those.
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But it certainly makes you think you are!
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" ... to rational and independent individuals in modern civilization"
I'm not sure where the author is really coming from, but he seems to claim that modern individuals are (a) less herd-like, and (b) innovation was helped by drinking
The only reason we are less herd-like (and we still are very herd like in our thinking - just look at how certain topics are still taboo) is that our survival doesn't directly depend on acceptance by those around us. Sure, I might not have a job if I'm a douche-bag, but chances are I can still find a way to survive. On the other hand, getting kicked out of a prehistoric tribe meant you would pretty much have to hunt alone (assuming you ran away from the tribe before they butchered you), and you wouldn't survive for long.
Also, the reaction to alcohol varies by culture. You have this idea that people lose inhibition when they drink, but in some cultures they become more harmonious (less likely to cause trouble or act out - see here).
I'd say that the leaps and bounds in infrastructure and tech have allowed us to lead more solitary lives, which also means we have less inclination to conform. Now, if you can claim that a lot of innovation/changes was created under the influence (Windows 8 design? ;) ), that would be cool (I'm not an alcoholic, I'm just creative).
TFS says "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." That goes along with an old Irish saying: "God invented alcohol to keep the Irish from conquering the world."
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ROFL.
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So summary: beer is late, it is missing from many cultures, and the genomics would support a much higher selection for digesting of it –as they do with milk –if a small area invented brewing and this was the core civilizing agent.
further, linguistic convergence argues for language being close to 100,000 years old, and cultural progressions, that is "fashion" are as much as 70,000 years old. The understanding of band organization - that is groups smaller than tribes that do not produce a surplus, and there fore have little to no "state" apparatus or long term castes - is not the placid realm before angst. The Australian aboriginal mythology is filled with a sense of angst as their climate changed, and they are band organized.
There are many better hypotheses for the role of intoxication in human history. Far more likely beer takes off as soon as agriculture becomes intertwined with water, because over the long term the water becomes fouled. It also has an important role when economic castes in settlements start to become forces in themselves. It may have been used as part of combat, as the only medication they had.
This doesn't even pass a simple date match of events to create a timeline.
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For the record, here, in a letter addressed to André Morellet in 1779, is what Benjamin Franklin actually did say:
Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards, there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine, a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.
Nope. They came along much too late to be relevant to this discussion.
well you've probably only tried the big corporate swill water beers like bud or miller lite. There are so many good tasty craft beers out there it's impossible to list them all. I'm sure theres a brew out there you'd like.
There's beer other than Bud Light. (Ok, ok, to even call that beer requires heavily bribing consumer protection inspectors.) Actual beer doesn't taste like piss.
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I call it beer, but then I KNOW theres two worlds of beer
One is a fine crafted beverage meant for enjoyment, maybe with a nice dinner and company of good friends during a peaceful evening.
The other is mass produced piss that has to be consumed ice cold so you cant taste it, and drank in bulk for the sole reason of getting shit faced.
I have room in my life for both.
Seriously, I remember myself reading this stuff over 35 yrs ago in various books and magazines. Why is this news today?
While it might be the alcohol that had helped jump start the human society, in places around the world alcohol is being banned
If this anti-alcohol trend is to continue, we might even seen a reverse course of human civilization ... from individualistic behavior back to the herd-like behavior
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Mormons love humans, whereas AC thinks that they are wretched things no better than monkeys. AC is just a killjoy.
I consider any form of intoxication to be depraved
Seriously a killjoy. Probably against sex because it can lead to more humans even with the best birth control, as well.