Michael Pollan on the Mystery of Consciousness

Podcast: The Next Big Idea (LS 59 · TOP 0.1% what is this?)Episode: Michael Pollan on the Mystery of ConsciousnessPub date: 2026-02-23Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationFive years ago, Michael Pollan — the acclaimed author of The Botany of Desire, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and How to Change Your Mind — went looking for an answer to one of life's great mysteries: "How does three pounds of brain matter generate subjective experience?" The result is his luminous new book, A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness, which comes out tomorrow. Great journalists like Michael have a nose for story and a knack for timing. Both are on display in A World Appears. It's a page-turner teeming with maverick characters. It's a startling look at the emerging science of plant sentience. And it's an urgent exploration of a question we can't afford to ignore: Could consciousness — that is, "subjective or felt experience," the trippy miracle that when we open our eyes, a world appears — emerge in AI? * * * A World Appears is the Next Big Idea Club’s latest selection. To get an early copy, a personal note from Michael, and an invitation to a Q&A with him on March 10, become a member at nextbigideaclub.com⁠⁠. Code PODCAST gets you a super secret discount (spoiler: it’s 20% off). If you enjoyed this episode, check out our conversations with Antonio Damasio, David Chalmers (here and here), Sara Walker, Paul Bloom, Robert Sapolsky, Sam Harris, and Gaurav Suri and Jay McClelland. Watch The Next Big Idea on YouTube! You can find our episodes ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. Follow Rufus on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, subscribe to our ⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠, or send us an email at ⁠[email protected]⁠. We love getting fan mail. Sponsored By: Bitdefender — Get 30% off your plan at bitdefender.com/idea Factor — Head to ⁠factormeals.com/idea50off⁠ and use code idea50off to get 50% off your first box Granola — Get three months free at granola.ai/idea Shopify — Start your $1/month trial at ⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/nbi⁠⁠⁠The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Next Big Idea Club, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.