Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 14 hours ago
Five 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.
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 https://nextbigideaclub.com. Code PODCAST gets you a super secret discount (spoiler: it’s 20% off).
This episode is sponsored by Factor. Head to factormeals.com/idea50off and use code idea50off to get 50% off your first box!
Five 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.
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 https://nextbigideaclub.com. Code PODCAST gets you a super secret discount (spoiler: it’s 20% off).
This episode is sponsored by Factor. Head to factormeals.com/idea50off and use code idea50off to get 50% off your first box!
