Plato on Drunkenness in the Upper Class
The ancient philosopher also explored how a hypothetical "fear drug" could be used to maintain social order
Plato had a lot to say about intoxication.
Interestingly, much of his surviving work which deals with this theme simultaneously deals with themes of class conflict. More specifically, how intoxication can be used to minimize class conflict, thus ensuring the continued dominance of the ruling class. In today’s notes, I will share some of the more fascinating bits and pieces from Plato’s work which deal with these themes.
First, let’s take a look at Plato’s The Republic. One of his most famous works, The Republic is foundational to the study of government and law. In it, Plato examines the building blocks of society, the various premises upon which political rule is based, and offers a plethora of tools and techniques that might be used to maintain or modify social order. Arguably, most modern political science hearkens back, in one way or another, to ideas that are found in The Republic.
Ok, so what did Plato have to say about drugs and intoxication? Quite a bit, it turns out.
The [Drunken] Republic
The Republic takes the form of a dialogue between Socrates and a student. [Note: Plato was himself a student of Socrates and much of Plato’s work is directly based on the teachings of Socrates.] In Book V of The Republic, Socrates explores the subject of honor and how it should be treated in “the good and true City or State.”1 He advises his disciples to “honor the brave” with “hymns” and “full cups.”2
So…a party? Socrates’ prescription of song and drink as a signifier of social honor reveals how highly alcohol was regarded in ancient times—and arguably, still is today, despite all the puritan moralizing that surrounds it. (More on that later.)
Later, in Book IX, he discusses “the tyrannical man,” (which could also be read as “the tyrannical person”) i.e., the unjust ruler. Socrates explores what drives people to tyranny, what the consequences are, and how such fates might be avoided. Interestingly, intoxication is absolutely central to his account of how Socrates’ “tyrannical man” comes to be.
“The tyrannical man,” Socrates insists, “comes into being” while “under the influence,” “drunken, lustful, [and] passionate.”3 Along the way, “amid cloud of incense and perfumes and garlands and wines,” the tyrannical man’s various pleasures “let loose” and “come buzzing around him,” at which point he “breaks out into a frenzy."4 Social and political mayhem follow in due course.
In the style of Socratic dialogue which is typical to Plato’s works, Socrates asks his disciple, rhetorically, “Has not a drunken man also the spirit of a tyrant?”
“He has,” the student responds.5
So, while getting drunk could serve as a signal of honor for the brave and victorious, it could also give rise to tyranny—or at least, this is what Socrates and Plato seem to suggest. There is even more discussion of drugs, medicine, and intoxication in The Republic which we will cover in future posts. But let’s move on, for now, to another one of Plato’s works, Laws.
[Drug] Laws
Laws, another classic that is often cited in various works on government, political science, etc., also discusses the impact of intoxication on social order. The work takes the form of a conversation among several characters, including an unnamed Athenian and someone from the island of Crete named Clinias.
A large chunk of Laws consists of the unnamed Athenian’s discussion of what is translated as the “choric arts.” (Think school choirs, but as a metaphor for social order.)
The Athenian describes society as a giant song sung by a large choir, the choir being us, the people who make up society. The different vocal parts in this song correspond to the different populations within a society. His discussion of the “choric arts” and the “harmony” they aimed for was thus an extended analogy meant to teach certain lessons about social harmony and the State.
Amidst this discussion, the Athenian explains that while drunkenness among young people should be curtailed by the state, for older people, it was perfectly acceptable and actually warmly encouraged.
Why?
Wine makes people “ready” to “render [their] song,” or, more broadly speaking, to perform the social roles expected of them. Wine, the Athenian said, fills people with “spirit” and takes away their “bashfulness,” all of which he argued was advantageous for social order.6
He suggested that wine is therefore appropriate “as a means of inducing” certain segments of society “to take part in our proposed singing,” or, metaphorically, to perform their expected social roles. The segment of society that is permitted to get drunk are referred to as the choirs of Dionysus in Laws. [Dionysus is the ancient Greek god most heavily associated with wine and intoxication.]
Elsewhere in Laws, the Athenian fondly encourages drinking. “Time spent in companionship over the bottle,” he insists, contributes “much to education.”7 But, as a caution, to ensure that such drunken camaraderie remains beneficial to the State, he advises “the proper surveillance” of the “wine party."8
Interesting, no?
The Fear Drug
There is something else which Plato discusses in Laws—and which also pertains to intoxication—that I find totally fascinating. It is something which also seems potentially relevant to the more recent history and present status of various drugs. What is it? The hypothetical “fear drug.”
Just a little bit later on in Laws, the Athenian and Clinias have an extended discussion on the role of fear in the maintenance of the State. In this section—specifically, in Book I, verse 648—the Athenian asks Clinias if there exists a drug which can reliably induce fear to such an extent that it might be used to mold minds. The Athenian and Clinias then discuss how such a drug might be used by state officials to achieve political ends.
Curiously, this “fear drug” which the characters discuss is said to be—hypothetically, of course—“without serious risks.”9 This quality allows it to be used for ushering the citizenry “into such a state of fear” that the State may thereby “test them under its influence."10
The Athenian suggests that if such a fear drug were to be found, people would do well to take it in a private setting, “isolating [them]self” and submitting to the effects of the drug “until [they] had obtained a satisfactory result.” At that point, said person should “make public exhibition of the virtue which enables him to transcend and master the effects of the inevitable disturbances due to the potion…”11
The Athenian’s advice is strangely applicable to the modern practice of psychedelic therapy and the attendant interest in drugs such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA, all of which are often said to allow people to face their fears in a way that is both therapeutic for the individual and beneficial for society. People are often advised to take these drugs in a private setting for the purpose of self-improvement, and then share their experiences (whether via psychedelic therapy, trip reports, etc.). Has the Athenian’s fear drug finally been found?
Frankly, I find the degree to which Plato’s discussion of the fear drug resembles the modern so-called “psychedelic” movement both fascinating and disturbing. Laws has long been a fruitful cornucopia of political theory, and these passages may well represent the earliest articulations of what has since been dubbed acid fascism.
Later on, we will further explore both the concept of acid fascism as well as whether Plato’s fear drug may have inspired the CIA’s MK-ULTRA.
For now, that should be more than enough to chew on.
Coming up next…
-What about Aristotle? Also, Sun Tzu and drug politics
-How powerful people in history got high
-And much, much more