Fresh Air

Michael Pollan’s journey to understand consciousness

February 19, 2026·45 min·6-min readnarrativephilosophy
Podzilla Summary (6 min)
TLDR
Michael Pollan’s new book, A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness, explores the elusive nature of consciousness through science, philosophy, meditation, and psychedelics. In conversation with Terry Gross, Pollan argues that consciousness remains one of the deepest mysteries—resis

Sign up to read the full summary

Free AI-powered recaps of every episode, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Guest

M

Michael Pollan

narrative on Fresh Air

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Michael PollanTerry GrossThomas NagelAntonio DamasioMark SoamesRussell HurlburtKalina ChristoffJoan HalifaxStefano Mancuso

Books

How to Change Your Mindby Michael PollanA World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousnessby Michael Pollan

Companies

OpenAI

Topics

Artificial IntelligenceEthicsMeditationMental HealthNeurosciencePhilosophy

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of Fresh Air and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.