Could psychedelic drugs change our worldview? In Episode 7 of the How To Academy Podcast, Michael Pollan takes us on a journey to the frontiers of the human mind.
For twenty years the author and activist Michael Pollan has been writing about the places where the human and natural worlds intersect, including, most famously, in his acclaimed books on the ethics and ecology of food, such as The Omnivore’s Dilemma and The Botany of Desire.
That path recently led him to investigate the role of mind altering drugs in humans culture – from shamans and magic mushroom hunts to the pioneering labs mapping our brains – and to put himself forward as a guinea-pig.
In this podcast, LBC presenter Matthew Stadlen asks Michael about his dive into this extraordinary world, taking a tough but open-minded approach to the promises and perils of the new science of psychedelics.
Praise for Michael Pollan:
‘A sweeping and often thrilling chronicle of the history of psychedelics, all interwoven with Pollan’s adventures as a psychedelic novice. This is a serious work of history and science, but also one in which the author, under the influence of toad venom, becomes convinced he’s giving birth to himself’ Oliver Burkeman, Guardian
‘A mind-altering book … full of transformations’ Richard Godwin, Evening Standard
‘An irresistible blend of history, research and personal experience. In terms of the psychedelic wave, the book is the big kahuna, the Big Bang moment for a movement that is gathering force’ John McKenna, Irish Times
‘Entertaining and engrossing’ Paul Laity, Financial Times
‘Deeply absorbing, wise and beautifully written’ Mick Brown, Literary Review
‘An astounding book’ Andrew Sullivan, New York Magazine
