The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Pollan follows each of these processes-from a group of plants photosynthesizing calories through a series of intermediate stages, ultimately into a meal. In The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan describes four basic ways that human societies have obtained food: the current industrial system, the big organic operation, the local self-sufficient farm, and the hunter-gatherer. Pollan is critical of industrial monoculture claiming it leads to crops less able to defend themselves against predators and requiring large amounts of pesticides and fertilizers which upsets the natural ecosystem. These range from the true story of Johnny Appleseed to Pollan's first-hand research with sophisticated marijuana hybrids in Amsterdam, to the alarming and paradigm-shifting possibilities of genetically engineered potatoes. Each section presents a unique element of human domestication, or the 'human bumblebee' as Pollan calls it. Throughout the book, Pollan explores the narrative of his own experience with each of the plants, which he then intertwines with a well-researched exploration into their social history. The apple reflects the desire for sweetness, the tulip for beauty, marijuana for intoxication, and the potato for control.

He uses case examples that fit the archetype of four basic human desires, demonstrating how each of these botanical species are selectively grown, bred, and genetically engineered. In The Botany of Desire, Pollan explores the concept of co-evolution, specifically of humankind's evolutionary relationship with four plants- apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes-from the dual perspectives of humans and the plants. in English from Columbia University in 1981. in English from Bennington College in 1977 and an M.A. Īfter studying at Mansfield College, Oxford, through 1975, Pollan received a B.A. He is the son of author and financial consultant Stephen Pollan and columnist Corky Pollan.

Pollan was born to a Jewish family on Long Island, New York. Pollan is best known for his books that explore the socio-cultural impacts of food, such as The Botany of Desire and The Omnivore's Dilemma. Concurrently, he is the Knight Professor of Science and Environmental Journalism and the director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism where in 2020 he cofounded the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, in which he leads the public-education program.

Chan Arts Lecturer at Harvard University. Michael Kevin Pollan ( / ˈ p ɒ l ə n/ born February 6, 1955) is an American author and journalist, who is currently Professor of the Practice Non-Fiction and the first Lewis K.

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan