Michael Pollan — The Mystery of Consciousness
On Being with Krista Tippett

Michael Pollan — The Mystery of Consciousness

B2Upper-intermediateMay 14, 20261 hr 14 min

From Krista: Michael Pollan’s latest book, A World Appears, is an exploration — with scientists and journalists and technologists and spiritual teachers — of what consciousness is, and is not, or might be: from the plants which have always fascinated him, to the new technologies which we are marveling at and fearing in equal measure. Do sentience, feeling, thought, or a sense of self amount to consciousness? Does it emerge from inside us? Or is it a force beyond us, in which we partake? Before a rapt gathering in New York City, we explored where Michael has com...

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Michael's latest book, A World Appears, is an exploration with scientists and journalists,

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From the plants which have always fascinated him to the new technologies which we are marveling at

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0:00

Here is how the AI Claude summarized Michael Pollan's body of work to me when I shared that I would be interviewing him, and I couldn't state it better. So much of what Michael Pollan does across food, plants, psychedelics, is essentially an argument for a more conscious relationship with the world we're embedded in. He keeps asking, what are we not noticing? Michael's latest book, A World Appears, is an exploration with scientists and journalists,

0:31

technologists and spiritual teachers of what consciousness is and is not or might be. From the plants which have always fascinated him to the new technologies which we are marveling at and fearing in equal measure. Do sentience, feeling, thought or a sense of self amount to consciousness? Does it emerge from inside us, or is it a force beyond us in which we partake?

1:00

Before a rapt gathering in New York City, we explored where Michael Pollan has come on these questions and others. The word mystery kept landing the longer we spoke, and I brought Claude into our conversation briefly near the end. I am delighted to bring you into that room with us now. I'm Krista Tippett, and this is On Being.

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