found this wonderful paper, on the value of drunkenness in plato’s laws. some highlights:
“shame” (probably an imperfect translation) is an important feeling to the greeks. their “shame” was a desire to not look stupid in front of others, and this desire created a feeling that prevented indulgence in excess pleasure. cultivating this feeling (which may or may not feel like what we think is shame) built cultivated restraint and temperance.
drinking increases the desire to indulge. and so restraining yourself while drunk is kind of like training with the weights on. if you can restrain yourself sloshed you can restrain yourself sober, no matter how great and how tempting the pleasure.
the Laws recommends supervised drinking parties (symposiums). these are employed strategically to cultivate shame in citizens, and to also reveal who is shameless. knowing who is shameless is said to be the most important thing a city can learn.
children are loud and spirited because they have fire in the soul
alcohol “pours fire in the soul” and makes adults like children, singing and dancing freely.
musical education is very important to plato. if an old person is musically mis-educated (for example, they listened to too much indie rock and are now a softboi unfit to the defend the state), it is difficult to retrain him, because he is too dry and embarassed to let loose and sing a new song (for example, spartan death metal)
so plato recommends he get drunk. and while he is drunk, a wise teacher should make him sing more noble songs. basically, drunkenness makes you more musically neuroplastic so you can re-educate your spirit.
