In this talk from TED, Michael Pollan asks us to see things from a plant’s-eye view and therefore to consider the possibility that nature isn’t opposed to culture, that biochemistry rivals intellect as a survival tool. (He also wonders if edible grasses have encouraged us to destroy the forests to grow more grass. By mowing lawns we stop trees from growing!) Pollan argues that by merely shifting our perspective, he argues, we can heal the Earth.
Michael Pollan On Changing Our Relationship With The Natural World
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February 8, 2008
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You're reading PSFK.
Inspiration to make things better.
Pollan just uprooted and completely overturned my world view. In a good way. I’ve been adamant about humanity being inherently flawed ever since I read Daniel Quinn’s “Ishmael” in the early 90s – the thought being that we lost our ability to live in harmony with nature 10,000 years ago with the shift from hunter-gathering to settled agriculture. What Pollen argues is that agriculture need not distress nature but that it can, in fact, be turned into a win-win situation–IF we play our cards right. Absolutely fascinating and tremendously important in light of growing world populations.
February 8th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Love the BMW sponsorship…
February 8th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
A beautiful illustration of evolution… timing is critical and each section of nature has a purpose. Imagine our history books in the year 2060 … considering we as a society are the authors of the yet to be written books, will we (bio)mimic the evolution of nature and zone in on the timing, or complain about being powerless navigators in OUR future???
February 11th, 2008 at 4:39 am