Handling the Hard Stuff – Conversations on the Philosophy of Alcohol

Handling the Hard Stuff: Conversations on the Philosophy of Alcohol provides students with a collection of articles that helps them consider the implications of living in an alcohol-saturated world.

The anthology marries discussions on various styles of alcohol with readings on the nature of identity, responsibility, freedom, sex, gender, and virtue. Throughout, students are invited to explore a number of thought-provoking questions such as: Are humans evolutionarily programmed to desire the taste of fermenting fruit? Do we fundamentally change our identity when we are inebriated? How responsible, both legally and morally, are we for what we do while inebriated? What role does alcohol play in the dating ritual? What are the dangers of an addiction to alcohol?

Each unit includes pre-reading questions and prompts to introduce key topics and prepare students for greater levels of engagement and questioning.

Written to help students engage more thoughtfully, concertedly, and diligently with the concept of alcohol not just as a crutch or a treat-but as something that can offer philosophical investigation and discernment, Handling the Hard Stuff is an ideal resource for courses and programs in philosophy.

Bryce David Blankenship holds a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Idaho, where he is now a senior instructor of philosophy in the university's Department of Politics and Philosophy. He has worked (concurrent to his studies and teaching) in the restaurant industry since 2007, having worn many different "hats: " coffee bar manager, server, front of house manager, wine program director, wine consultant, and principle bartender.