Name: A plant's-eye view
Uploaded: 2008-02-07T01:04:00Z
Duration: 17 min 12 s
Description: 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 to rule the Earth? Author Michael Pollan asks us to see the world from a plant's-eye view.

Michael Pollan: A plant's-eye view

A plant's-eye view

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 to rule the Earth? Author Michael Pollan asks us to see the world from a plant's-eye view.

Human beings see themselves as nature’s masters, but plants and other species have evolved strategies to manipulate us for their own survival. A potato or an apple tree can shape our behavior just as much as we shape theirs, enlisting us to spread their genes and create habitats for them. On a farm in Virginia, cows and chickens create a dance of mutual benefit that results in more food and richer soil by season's end. Rethinking nature from this perspective reveals that our actions can actually enhance, not diminish, the world around us.