Revisiting Do Plants Think, and Other Mysteries (with Michael Pollan)
Summary
In this episode, Preet Bharara interviews Michael Pollan about his new book, *A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness*. They explore the "hard problem" of consciousness, discussing why science struggles to explain subjective experience and how psychedelics can reveal the nature of reality. Pollan also challenges the assumption that thinking is verbal, noting that many people think in images or unsymbolized abstractions.
Topics discussed
Sponsors and show introduction
Introduction to Michael Pollan and his new book
The hard problem of consciousness and why we aren't zombies
The paradox of studying consciousness and the limits of science
Metaphysical alternatives: Panpsychism and the view from nowhere
Inner monologue vs. unsymbolized thought: Russell Hurlburt's research
Pre-verbal thinking and the role of the unconscious
Why we care about consciousness: Curiosity and social media
Psychedelics and the nature of conscious experience
The hypothesis of plant consciousness and sensory perception
Reality as a controlled hallucination and the role of imagination
Plant intelligence: Mazes, communication, and time perception
Bioelectric fields, regeneration, and plant anesthesia
Do plants feel pain? Ethical considerations for eating plants
Moral consideration for animals and the social contract
Feelings vs. thoughts: The embodied origin of consciousness
The brain is not a computer: Hardware vs. software metaphor
AI consciousness: Moral dilemmas and the risk of new slavery
The Copernican shift: AI and the expansion of consciousness
AI art, empathy, and the loss of human friction
Show outro and contact information
Listen ad-free on Castria