What Humans, Animals and Plants Tell Us About Consciousness | Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan is a renowned author, journalist and professor at UC Berkeley. He is best known for his influential works on how humans and plants have shaped each other at the level of food, medicine, health, and culture. In this episode we discuss consciousness—what it is and how the recognition between our self vs others contributes to– but also can impair, certain aspects of conscious experience. We discuss psychedelics, the microbiome, caffeine, and how the unconscious dialogue between our body and brain impacts our thoughts and feelings. Pollan offers a hopeful perspective on how our relationship with plants and animals – including other humans, can lead us to a healthier, and far richer experience of life.

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Michael Pollan
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Timestamps
00:00:00 Michael Pollan
00:02:50 Wendell Berry, Nature
00:06:30 Consciousness; Sentience
00:10:04 Environmental Response, Plant Intelligence; Self-Recognition
00:13:52 Sponsors: Eight Sleep & Rorra
00:20:49 Plants, Communication, Sentience, Symbiosis
00:27:37 Self-Awareness, Time; Xenobots, Instinct
00:34:32 Microbiome, Influence & Symbiosis
00:40:28 Meaning; Cortex vs Brain Stem, Homeostatic Feelings
00:47:17 Sponsor: AG1
00:48:36 Body & Brain Communication, Vagus Nerve
00:57:21 Collective Consciousness, Psychedelics, Ego, Awe
01:08:14 Filter Theories of Consciousness
01:13:28 Sponsor: Function
01:15:06 AI, Consciousness, Feelings; Memory; Quantum Effects
01:21:27 Childhood, Gardening, Interacting with Nature
01:27:08 Hope, Nature & Agency, Food Industry
01:32:21 Advocacy, Psychedelics, Food Industry
01:39:50 Sponsor: Mateina
01:44:52 Psychedelics, Ibogaine, Veterans, Politics; MDMA, Psilocybin; Risk
01:52:18 Caffeine, Caffeine Fast, Health Benefits
02:00:21 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

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