The Mystery of Consciousness with Michael Pollan

Host Michael Taft talks with bestselling author Michael Pollan about his new book, A World Appears, and the enduring mystery of consciousness. They explore the hidden biases of consciousness researchers, the limits of scientific materialism, the embodied nature of feeling, and what literature, meditation, psychedelics, and the arts can reveal that laboratory science cannot. The conversation turns to artificial intelligence and the unsettling possibility that machines may possess ego-like structures without any genuine inner awareness, raising urgent questions about emotional attachment to algorithms and the need for “consciousness hygiene.” They also discuss ego dissolution, the microbiome’s surprising influence on mind and behavior, the increasingly blurry boundary between self and world, and practical ways of becoming more fully conscious through meditation, nature, travel, art, gardening, animals, and time away from technology.Michael Pollan is one of America’s most influential writers on the intersection of human life and the natural world—especially food, agriculture, consciousness, and the mind. He is the author of numerous bestselling books, including The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, Cooked, How to Change Your Mind, and This Is Your Mind on Plants. He has taught at both UC Berkeley and Harvard and is a co-founder of the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics. His work has earned many major literary and scientific honors, and Time named him one of the world’s 100 most influential people.Find out more at michaelpollan.comYou can support the creation of future episodes of this podcast by contributing through Patreon.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 16, 2026

What this episode covers

Host Michael Taft talks with bestselling author Michael Pollan about his new book, A World Appears, and the enduring mystery of consciousness. They explore the hidden biases of consciousness researchers, the limits of scientific materialism, the embodied nature of feeling, and what literature, meditation, psychedelics, and the arts can reveal that laboratory science cannot. The conversation turns to artificial intelligence and the unsettling possibility that machines may possess ego-like structures without any genuine inner awareness, raising urgent questions about emotional attachment to algorithms and the need for “consciousness hygiene.” They also discuss ego dissolution, the microbiome’s surprising influence on mind and behavior, the increasingly blurry boundary between self and world, and practical ways of becoming more fully conscious through meditation, nature, travel, art, gardening, animals, and time away from technology.Michael Pollan is one of America’s most influential writers on the intersection of human life and the natural world—especially food, agriculture, consciousness, and the mind. He is the author of numerous bestselling books, including The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, Cooked, How to Change Your Mind, and This Is Your Mind on Plants. He has taught at both UC Berkeley and Harvard and is a co-founder of the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics. His work has earned many major literary and scientific honors, and Time named him one of the world’s 100 most influential people.Find out more at michaelpollan.comYou can support the creation of future episodes of this podcast by contributing through Patreon. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

PodParley-generated summary based on available episode metadata and transcript content.

NOW PLAYING

The Mystery of Consciousness with Michael Pollan

0:00 1:01:30

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

Why Live and Evergreen Models Both Fall Short

Feb 4, 2026 ·18m

Similar Podcasts

LIGHTS, CAMERA, SMILE! Creatives Club Media Lights, Camera, Smile, is a podcast for anyone with a dream to share something with the world, out of the overflow of themselves - be it their mind, their heart, their personalities, and much more. Each of us are alive in this moment in time, with an innate ability to have ideas and create various things to benefit both ourselves and the people around us for a reason, and here, you will find the encouragement, the inspiration, and the motivation to do just that. Hosted by Cicily, founder of Creatives Club, she dives into various topics surrounding creativity and business. Exploring entrepreneurship for creatives in a corporate reality, sharing tips and tricks in a media centered company, answering questions regarding what a creative actually is are just a few of the things discussed on this podcast. Be encouraged to create for yourself as Cicily gets vulnerable by pivoting the camera to herself for the first time.To submit questions for Cicily to answer, or have her address certain t Solving for Change MOBIA Technology Innovations Solving for Change welcomes business and technology leaders to share stories of bold business transformation within complex organizations. In an era when technology and markets are changing around businesses, the key to staying competitive is to evolve in response to those changes. MOBIA’s Mike Reeves and Marc LeBlanc investigate business transformation, deconstructing the challenges, ambitions, and market disruptions that drive companies to embark on transformation journeys, and exploring their unique approaches to achieving meaningful outcomes. What sparks leaders to pursue business transformation? How do they overcome the challenges along the way? What are the keys to creating enduring change? Through in-depth conversations with business and technology leaders, Mike and Marc answer these questions and explore how businesses evolve by pulling four key transformation levers: people, process, technology, and culture. The Course Mentors Podcast The Course Mentors Hey there, future course creator!Ever feel like turning your know-how into an online course is like trying to solve a Rubik's cube blindfolded? Well, grab your headphones because "The Course Mentors Podcast" is here to be your secret weapon!Meet Aimee and Odette (that's us!), your new best friends in the course creation world. We've been in the trenches for over a decade, and for the last five years, we've been rocking the online course space. Now we're here to spill all our secrets in bite-sized, 15-20 minute episodes that'll fit perfectly in your coffee breaks.No fluff, no filler - just real, actionable advice that'll take you from "um, what's a landing page?" to "holy moly, I just hit six figures!". We're talking everything from crafting your course to marketing it like a pro and building a business that'll have you pinching yourself.Whether you're dreaming of ditching the 9-to-5 grind, adding a sweet extra income str It's All Connected Ali Rodgers A self improvement podcast that teaches you how to guide yourself to your best life.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Deconstructing Yourself?

This episode is 1 hour and 1 minute long.

When was this Deconstructing Yourself episode published?

This episode was published on July 16, 2026.

What is this episode about?

Can I download this Deconstructing Yourself episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.

URL copied to clipboard!