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The Chemical Muse: Drug Use and the Roots of Western Civilization | 
 enlarge | Author: D. C.a. Hillman
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $12.47
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Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 135370
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 256
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.2
ISBN: 0312352492
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.29
EAN: 9780312352493
ASIN: 0312352492
Publication Date: July 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Brand New. 100% money back guarantee. All books shipped from Strand Bookstore, New York City, USA.
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Product Description
DIVDIVDIVP#8220;The last wild frontier of classical studies.#8221; I---The Times (UK)BRThe Chemical Muse/I uncovers decades of misdirection and obfuscation to reveal the history of widespread drug use in Ancient Rome and Greece. In the city-states that gave birth to Western civilization, drugs were an everyday element of a free society. Often they were not just available, but vitally necessary for use in medicine, religious ceremonies, and war campaigns. Their proponents and users existed in all classes, from the common soldier to the emperor himself.BRCiting examples in myths, medicine, and literature, D. C. A. Hillman shows how drugs have influenced and inspired the artists, philosophers, and even politicians whose ideas have formed the basis for civilization as we know it. Many of these ancient texts may seem well-known, but Hillman shows how timid, prudish translations have left scholars and readers in the dark about the reality of drug use in the Classical world. BRHillman#8217;s argument is not simply #8220;pro-drug.#8221; Instead, he appeals for an intellectual honesty that acknowledges the use of drugs in ancient societies despite today#8217;s conflicting social mores. In the modern world, where academia and university life are often politically charged, IThe Chemical Muse/I offers a unique and long overdue perspective on the contentious topic of drug use and the freedom of thought./P/DIV/DIV/DIV
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Good information, poorly edited November 6, 2008
Aaron_2278
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I would recommend this book to anyone who is curious about possible drug use by past civilizations. I believe this book has loads of insightful information and presents a well thought out thesis which is backed up with evidence that is pulled from a few main sources and which is open to debate. The writing style and organization leave much to be desired, however, the book presents a view of ancient people that is rarely presented. If you want to know where current academics let their philosophical views govern how they interpret ancient writings on drug use, this book will definitely give you some well thought out opinions on the matter. br / br /As other people have mentioned, the author is angry that he had to edit out parts of his dissertation that related to drug use in order to obtain his doctoral degree. That would tick me off too. I do not believe that his anger came off as such in the book. I would describe it more as passion for the subject. br / br /The main issues I have with the book is the poor editing and the lack of variety in the sources. The book could have been about half the size based upon the repeating of the main ideas with different examples. I understand why he organized the book the way he did, I just think it could have flowed better if it was organized with each chapter dedicated to the writings of each author discussed. The flow was broken up when going from one author to another and back again. br / br /I do like the examples given on where drug use shows up in ancient writings, and the author gives some good examples of where modern scholars interpretations have distorted the translations. The book did leave me wanting more information and that seems to be the goal of the author. However, I do not possess the knowledge to translate the ancient works myself, and so I am left to read the writings based upon current translations. It may be nice if the author were to publish something that lists the Greek and Latin works that scholars have mistranslated and alongside them the correct translation according to his research (for the specific drug related words that have been mistranslated). br / br /Lastly, the evidence given in the book is definitely debatable. While I do believe the author has proven his point sufficiently in the book, there is no way for him to prove to the world beyond a doubt that his views are right and the rest of the scholarly world is wrong. I believe that this makes that book much more interesting as a conversation piece since it can spark a rational debate that can only help us understand the current world we live in. br / br /Over all, I would recommend this book. It is well researched, and provides a viewpoint on ancient drug use that is not often heard, but should be. It can be a bear to get though, but you will come out with a different perspective on ancient people and how they dealt with their world.
 Unrestricted drug use in antiquity October 20, 2008
James E. Vigiletti (florida)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Dr. Hillman reviews much of the classic literature of ancient Rome and Greece to correct what he feels is a conspiracy of "mainline" classicists and historians to bury the subject of rampant mind altering drug use in antiquity. It makes sense. The only effective treatment in a pharmacutical sense would be plants and combinations thereof. He gives example of specific drugs used for specific problems. No problem there. Where he apparently steps on academic toes is in the area of recreational drug use by the entire population. He has no specific data on this but draws inferences from data provided by mostly Pliny and Plutarch. I suppose it makes sense to infer that the ordinary Gaius on the street would have great access to these . There were no laws or restrictions on use at that time. The conclusion he makes is that ,even with unrestricted use of heavy drugs ans halucnogens ,it is possible for a civilization to thrive. You wouldnt have everyone hooked and stoned all of the time,accomplishing nothimg. He may be right..I highly reccomend this book. James e. Vigiletti J.D.
The Antiblockbuster September 29, 2008
J (Madison, WI)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The repeated references gave me a sense of exactly how pervasive and widespread censorship is on this topic, and not just on the author's personal experience of censorship and his dissertation. If you think you can learn a lesson from history since it repeats itself, how can you learn anything if the great minds are put into English in a way that doesn't really communicate what they said? It is a much more subtle and sinister way to alter how large groups of people see the world. br / br /I don't write book reviews, but it seems like there is a misunderstanding that this is supposed to be some kind of drug odyssey. I read this book without political agenda, but I was also mesmerized by seeing how drugs function within a society and not just as a hangup. The exhaustive nature of the book showed me that there are many, many references regarding drugs in antiquity. So many that it made me wonder how many people were involved in making the translations more palatable to fit with our modern view on drugs, and how many more people were required to maintain those translations. br / br /I think the author is trying to give you an honest translation of alot of what was written pertaining to drugs so many centuries ago. Were those societies superior? Well, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson thought it was so much so that they based our democracy on it which is the reason we have a senate and not a parliament.
 A Dangerous Book September 25, 2008
ce_4 (Brookfield, IL USA)
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
Imagine ordering The Exorcist signed by the author and the devil, and instead receiving a book on calculus. Then you force yourself to read it because you don't want to bother sending it back. That's the same experience reading this book. br / br /The main points seem to be that br / br /- recreational use of herbs, plants, botanicals was common and necessary due to the stresses of the ancient world br / br /- this use influenced the finest minds to come up with new ideas such as democracy and Liquid Paper br / br /- the modern world rejects this and focuses on repressive notions like the "War on Drugs" br / br /- proof of the relaxed view of drug use is offered in translations from Classical writings. br / br /These points are repeated over and over and over and over. The insinuation is that modern society is out of touch with the past and the ancient world/Classical period was superior, at least in thought and tolerance. br / br /There is only one problem with this book. Around one third of the way through, I noticed this sucking sensation around my eyes as if the book was draining the life out of me. It is so dull and tedious, I found myself studying the white space between each chapters' last paragraph and the end of the page in fascination. A controversial subject? Who knows since the repetitive, hypnotic fashion of the rhetoric makes the experience akin to being drugged by an opiate. It made me wonder what would have happened if this academic exercise had been ghost-written by Dr. Seuss. br / br /I have no political agenda against this book, although the five star reviewers obviously have a political agenda for it. It is certainly required reading for the easily excitable or people with bad nerves.
Fascinating Read August 29, 2008
Ryan (Baltimore, MD USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I thought this book was a fascinating read. Going in I had very limited knowledge of Greco-Roman culture, so it was nice to see that the author did a great job of explaining the context of the time as well as the background of the historical figures. br / br /I'd say this is not only an interesting and entertaining read, but also a very important book. We can certainly learn some things from the way drugs were treated in these cultures compared to our horribly horribly misguided ways of dealing with drugs, such as the damaging War on Drugs, in the present time. br / br /I loved the section about the democracy of ancient Athens. As well as learning about fascinating figures like Pythagoras and Aristophanes (sp?). br / br /Highly recommended, I will surely be reading this book a second time someday.
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