By JEFFREY P. KAHN
HUMAN beings are social animals. But just as important, we are socially constrained as well.
We
can probably thank the latter trait for keeping our fledgling species
alive at the dawn of man. Five core social instincts, I have argued,
gave structure and strength to our primeval herds. They kept us safely
codependent with our fellow clan members, assigned us a rank in the
pecking order, made sure we all did our chores, discouraged us from
offending others, and removed us from this social coil when we became a
drag on shared resources.
Thus could our ancient forebears cooperate, prosper, multiply — and pass along their DNA to later generations.
But
then, these same lifesaving social instincts didn’t readily lend
themselves to exploration, artistic expression, romance, inventiveness
and experimentation — the other human drives that make for a vibrant
civilization.
To free up
those, we needed something that would suppress the rigid social codes
that kept our clans safe and alive. We needed something that, on
occasion, would let us break free from our biological herd imperative —
or at least let us suppress our angst when we did.
We needed beer.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário