The Daily

'The Interview': Michael Pollan Says Humanity Is About to Undergo a Revolutionary Change

1087 snips
Feb 7, 2026
Michael Pollan, bestselling author who writes on food and mind, discusses consciousness, AI, and how our attention is under threat. He explores why consciousness evolved, whether machines or animals can feel, and what practices like meditation and psychedelics reveal. He warns about cultural distractions and argues for protecting our inner life.
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INSIGHT

Turing Test Risks Encouraging Deception

  • We can't directly verify another system's subjective state, so we rely on behavioral reports and tests like Turing's.
  • Training machines to mimic human responses risks rewarding deception over genuine understanding.
INSIGHT

Buddhist Practices Inform Consciousness Study

  • Buddhism offers long-standing frameworks and practices for understanding and altering consciousness.
  • Practices like meditation provide tools to observe and diminish the ego rather than destroy consciousness.
ANECDOTE

Merging With Music During Self-Dissolution

  • Pollan recounts a profound moment of self-dissolution while merging with Bach's cello suite during a psychedelic experience.
  • The subject-object split vanished, producing intense musical and emotional unity.
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