Beer & Philosophy: The Unexamined Beer Isn't Worth Drinking

From the dawn of civilization, human beings have bent elbows together to consume beer. The stonecutters and laborers who built the Egyptian pyramids did it – and even today, what is more thirst quenching than a good beer at the end of a hard day? Beer is the most democratic of all beverages, making it an excellent vehicle for examining everyday life.

Beer & Philosophy is written for beer lovers who want to think while they drink. It playfully explores a multitude of philosophical questions:

What is the definition of an authentic beer and is its goodness context-dependent?

Is it preferable to drink large quantities of Pabst Blue Ribbon or better to consume smaller amounts of Chimay Blue Grande Réserve?

Can the existence of high quality brew be used to prove the theory of Intelligent Design?

The contributors to this volume present intriguing and often humorous arguments for how complex philosophical concerns are intrinsically linked to something as prosaic as quaffing a pint with friends.

Joining companion volumes on wine and food, the anthology offers a wide range of perspectives on the plebeian alcoholic drink: the art of brewing, the aesthetics, the ethics, the metaphysics and epistemology, and beer in the history of philosophy. Some contributors hale from philosophy and some from beer-dom, but they all visit the same bathroom between pints. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A beer-lovers' book which playfully examines a myriad of philosophical concerns related to beer consumption.

• Effectively demonstrates how real philosophical issues exist just below the surface of our everyday activities

• Divided into four sections: The Art of the Beer; The Ethics of Beer: Pleasures, Freedom, and Character; The Metaphysics and Epistemology of Beer; and Beer in the History of Philosophy

• Uses the context of beer to expose George Berkeley’s views on fermented beverages as a medical cure; to inspect Immanuel Kant’s transcendental idealism through beer goggles, and to sort out Friedrich Nietzsche’s simultaneous praise and condemnation of intoxication

• Written for beer-lovers who want to think while they drink

Steven D. Hales is Professor of Philosophy at Bloomsburg University. He received a PhD from Brown University and specializes in epistemology and metaphysics. A prolific writer, Hales was the 2006 recipient of the Bloomsburg University teaching award.

Foreword: Michael Jackson.

Editor’s Introduction: Steven D. Hales (Bloomsburg University).

Part I: The Art of the Beer:.

1. Thirst for Authenticity: An Aesthetics of the Brewer’s Art: Dale Jacquette (Pennsylvania State University).

2. The Beer Matrix: Reality vs Facsimile in Brewing: Garrett Oliver (Brooklyn Brewery).

3. The Truth About Beer: Michael P. Lynch (University of Connecticut).

4. Good Beer, or How to Properly Dispute Taste: Peter Machamer (University of Pittsburgh).

5. Quality, Schmality: Talking Naturally about the Aesthetics of Beer; or, Why is American Beer So Lousy?: Martin Stack (Rockhurst University) and George Gale (University of Missouri).

6. Extreme Brewing in America: Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head Craft Brewing).

Part II: The Ethics of Beer: Pleasures, Freedom, and Character:.

7. Mill v. Miller, or Higher and Lower Pleasures: Steven D. Hales (Bloomsburg University).

8. Beer and Autonomy: Alan McLeod (Senior Legal Counsel for the City of Kingston, Ontario).

9. Another Pitcher? On Beer, Friendship, and Character: Jason Kawall (Colgate University).

Part III: The Metaphysics and Epistemology of Beer:.

10. Beer and Gnosis: The Mead of Inspiration: Theodore Schick (Muhlenberg College).

11. The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Beer: Neil A. Manson (University of Mississippi).

12. What’s a Beer Style?: Matt Dunn (University of Indiana at Bloomington).

Part IV: Beer in the History of Philosophy:.

13. Drink on, the Jolly Prelate Cries: David Hilbert (University of Illinois at Chicago).

14. Beer Goggles and Transcendental Idealism: Steven M. Bayne (Fairfield University).

15. Beyond Grolsch and Orval: Beer, Intoxication, and Power in Nietzsche’s Thought: Rex Welshon (University of Colorado at Colorado Springs).

Index