{"product_id":"what-are-drugs-for-timothy-mcmahan-king-9781506497181","title":"What Are Drugs For?: An Exploration of Stolen Fire","description":"\u003cp\u003eWe live in a pharmaceutical age where drugs contribute to and are a potential solution for many personal and societal problems. But instead of serious ethical inquiry into these substances' role in our lives, we've embraced harmful political and cultural trends of wholesale rejection of \"evil\" drugs while searching for \"miracle\" cures. But for most of human history, what we today call drugs were considered gifts from the divine with the potential to bestow healing, power, and wisdom. These were gifts of fire, essential to our lives but with underlying danger.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOur pursuit and fear of this pharmacological fire helped build empires and destroy civilizations. At the heart of today's problem is a mistaken understanding of our history with drugs. In \u003ci\u003eWhat Are Drugs For?\u003c\/i\u003e Timothy McMahan King excavates the evolutionary, religious, and social histories of humanity and its relationship with drugs, showing how these fiery divine substances have shaped and continue to influence religions, societies, and our notions of the good life. By retrieving that history and recontextualizing contemporary political, legal, and social challenges within them, King offers clues to building a path forward. Drugs are tools for human flourishing, yet are best known for their powers of destruction. \u003ci\u003eWhat Are Drugs For?\u003c\/i\u003e is about what makes the difference.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Timothy McMahan King\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1506497187\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781506497181\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Fortress Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/03\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 250\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.70lbs","brand":"Timothy McMahan King","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46602849648895,"sku":"9781506497181","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_db83f369-4326-461c-b35f-b3cd84d435d4.jpg?v=1739695475","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/what-are-drugs-for-timothy-mcmahan-king-9781506497181","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}