Michael Pollan & Christof Koch
A Journey into Consciousness

Michael Pollan has spent decades revealing surprising truths about what it means to be human, exploring everything from the politics of food to the science of psychedelics. In his latest book, A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness, the New York Times bestselling author tackles what may be his most ambitious project yet, tracing consciousness through radically different perspectives: scientific, philosophical, literary, spiritual, and psychedelic. Here, Pollan joins renowned neuroscientist Christof Koch—who has spent decades conducting investigations in the areas of neuroscience and consciousness science—for a wide-ranging conversation about the intersection of consciousness and psychedelics. Together, they’ll address what we currently know about consciousness and what makes it so challenging to study; how psychedelics research can uniquely advance our understanding of consciousness; and what various disciplines and worldviews teach us about subjective experience.

“Pollan’s real genius—the word is not too strong—remains intact. That is his uncanny ability to scent the direction in which the culture is headed. He did it with food and psychedelics, and now he has done it again” (The Atlantic).

This event is presented in partnership with the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics (BCSP) and is supported by the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation.