Michael Pollan: The omnivore's next dilemma
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Michael Pollan is the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, in which he explains how our food not only affects our health but has far-reaching political, economic, and environmental implications. His new book is In Defense of Food.
Why you should listen to him:
Few
writers approach their subjects with the rigor, passion and perspective
that’s typical of Michael Pollan. Whereas most humans think we are
Darwin’s most accomplished species, Pollan convincingly argues that
plants — even our own front lawns — have evolved to use us as much as
we use them.
The author and New York Times Magazine
contributor is, as Newsweek asserts, “an uncommonly graceful explainer
of natural science,” for his investigative stories about food,
agriculture, and the environment. His most recent book, The Omnivore’s
Dilemma, was named one of the top ten nonfiction titles of 2006.
As
the director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental
Journalism at UC Berkeley, Pollan is cultivating the next generation of
green reporters.
"His writing—an engaging mélange of travelogue, economic analysis, and sheer, tactile joy in the pleasures of food—has made him a favorite among the foodie and enviro crowds alike."Grist
Blog Posts on TED
The omnivore's next dilemma: Michael Pollan on TED.com – February 7, 2008
What if human consciousness isn't the end-all and be-all of Darwinism? What if we are all just pawns in corn's clever strategy game, the ultimate prize of which is world domination? Michael Pollan asks us to see things from a plant's-eye view -- to consider the possibility that nature isn't opposed to culture, that biochemistry rivals intellect as a survival tool. By merely shifting our perspective, he argues, we can heal the Earth. Who's the more sophisticated species now? (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 17:31.)


