Michael Pollan Says Humanity Is About to Undergo a Revolutionary Change
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- Michael Pollan’s forthcoming book, "A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness," explores human consciousness through a personal and multidisciplinary lens, addressing what consciousness is, its causes, purposes, and implications for living.
- Consciousness is commonly defined as subjective experience or awareness, exemplified by philosopher Thomas Nagel’s idea that being conscious means there is "something it is like" to be that entity, such as a bat using echolocation.
- The "hard problem" of consciousness, coined by philosopher David Chalmers, concerns how physical matter like neurons gives rise to subjective experience, a question that remains unresolved.
- Consciousness may serve practical functions, such as enabling decision-making when faced with competing needs and facilitating complex