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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
You Save: $12.48 (50%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 430191
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
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
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. 100% money back guarantee. All books shipped from Strand Bookstore, New York City, USA.
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Product Description
“The last wild frontier of classical studies.” ---The Times (UK)
The Chemical Muse 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.
Citing 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.
Hillman’s argument is not simply “pro-drug.” Instead, he appeals for an intellectual honesty that acknowledges the use of drugs in ancient societies despite today’s conflicting social mores. In the modern world, where academia and university life are often politically charged, The Chemical Muse offers a unique and long overdue perspective on the contentious topic of drug use and the freedom of thought.
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| Customer Reviews:
 The Antiblockbuster September 29, 2008
1 out of 1 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.
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.
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
0 out of 3 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.
The main points seem to be that
- recreational use of herbs, plants, botanicals was common and necessary due to the stresses of the ancient world
- this use influenced the finest minds to come up with new ideas such as democracy and Liquid Paper
- the modern world rejects this and focuses on repressive notions like the "War on Drugs"
- proof of the relaxed view of drug use is offered in translations from Classical writings.
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.
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.
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
3 out of 3 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.
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.
I loved the section about the democracy of ancient Athens. As well as learning about fascinating figures like Pythagoras and Aristophanes (sp?).
Highly recommended, I will surely be reading this book a second time someday.
Surprising truths they hid from us July 29, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I just received a copy of this book this week, and literally couldn't put it down since I found the topic fascinating. The author describes his ordeal with a doctoral dissertation committee, who were insisting that he remove offending chapters from his dissertation. Those chapters became this book.
It seems to be a huge secret that there was recreational drug use by the ancients. The cradle of democracy was full of druggies! I had some classical studies and none of this was EVER mentioned. But, the use of herbals and botanicals for medicinal purposes was known. The use of psychotropic substances for recreation and inspiration was decidedly not taught.
For a very fascinating look at a still taboo subject, I suggest reading ths book. It is an easy read, despite the scholarly origin for the author. I would have liked more scholarly references but probably wouldn't have understood them since I have no background in ancient Greek. I was particularly interested in the way the author tied the frequent wars to use of botanicals for medicine and relief. Life was difficult back then and
it probably did help to numb the fear and pain of a very hostile world to have potent drugs sold in the marketplace along with the kitchen produce.
Very readable and informative and a little naughty. I had no idea that the founders of Western democracy were bisexual druggies until I read this book!
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