Book Review: A World Appears

Michal Pollan’s journey into consciousness in A World Appears was a fun ride. A continuation of sorts of How to Change Your Mind and This is Your Mind on Plants. He openly admits that you might know less about consciousness after finishing the book, and I would agree. I didn’t finish the book with a better understanding of how consciousness works. But I actually feel better about that than had I learned the secret. Consciousness, where thoughts come from, what’s making me write this review, and the words I’m typing out right now, are a beautiful mystery, and I think it might be better the less we know. Because if someone figures it out, it’s only a matter of time before they will figure out a way to capitalize on it, and we’ll all really be fucked (AI is close).

But it was fun because throughout the book he interviews really smart and thoughtful people, who are all trying in earnest to unlock the mystery (no one is close), and you get to hear all of their unique perspectives, and the interesting ways they’re approaching the question of conciousness. It turns out that how they all even think about consciousness differs. Some have more structured views, as we’d expect, and some have more abstract ideas, and others, who are masters of their own minds, don’t even really care about entertaining the question “what is consciousness?” at all. To them, consciousness is just being. To others consciousness is a “felt uncertainty.” And I think they are all right to a certain extent.

I’m not sure what I think of consciousness. I think if I had to choose a camp it would be the ‘just being’ crowd. I feel like we all already put so much pressure on ourselves, that trying to really understand and figure out our own consciousness, as opposed to just being with it, is just unnecessary added pressure. Read this one and see what you think.

Like all of Michael Pollan’s books I feel a little more intelligent and a little more well rounded after reading this one.