Michael Pollan: A plant's-eye view

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Michael Pollan: A plant's-eye view

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Күн бұрын

www.ted.com 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.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers are invited to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes -- including speakers such as Jill Bolte Taylor, Sir Ken Robinson, Hans Rosling, Al Gore and Arthur Benjamin. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, politics and the arts. Watch the Top 10 TEDTalks on TED.com, at
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Пікірлер: 103

@syystomu 13 жыл бұрын

This video just gave me so, SO much more hope than I've had in ages, worrying about the ecosystem and the human overpopulation and the horrible problems in Africa... Figures that something so simple and natural turns out to be the best way to go... and the way that might end up saving us as a species. Seriously, this idea needs to be spread all over the world.

@thefamilyfarm9035 4 жыл бұрын

Michael Pollan, you are a true inspiration to humanity. If everyone followed your guidelines on agriculture, there would be no climate change, near no obesity, starvation would be reduced and multinational conglomerate GMO and pesticide companies would go down. Keep doing what you are doing.

@seenvision 16 жыл бұрын

"Animals are something invented by plants to move seeds around. An extremely yang solution to a peculiar problem which they faced." - Terrence McKenna

@dLimboStick 16 жыл бұрын

I've already come to this conclusion long ago and voiced it to my sons when we were talking about out theory of alien life. It is our conceit that make us look for or even care that there is "intelligent life" out there.

@patternsinchaos 16 жыл бұрын

"the final triumph of corn over common sense" This man is a JEWEL!

@CheezMonsterCrazy 16 жыл бұрын

This is the first time I've found farming to be truly interesting.

@MelanieMasters 16 жыл бұрын

The bit about the permiculture farm from around minute 12:00-the end is simply facinating. The rest maybe hearsay and conspiracy theory, etc... but the farm is enlightening.

@chrisherself 12 жыл бұрын

Michael Pollan is changing my life now, the way that Eric Schlosser changed it 12 years ago with Fast Food Nation. :)

@Bronco541 6 жыл бұрын

You know I love it when random people comment on videos like this and say stuff like "this guys got it all wrong it's this way..." They may be right, everyone's certainty capable of making mistakes or of having the wrong idea. But... I'm going to listen to journalists, professors and doctors, people who've spent their entire lives studying things and seeing what they have to say about a topic. I'm not listening to my neighbor or some random guy who thinks knows better because he saw something on TV or read something.

@okiedragonlady2 16 жыл бұрын

So the seeds in my freezer are actually calling my name and making me keep growing them every spring. And I don't know how many times I have walked thru the greenhouse like Patton addressing the troops - telling them how great they look and somehow, I feel them smile at me. My rose taps on the window - it is trying to communicate? The kerr ctr in okla has the cow/chicken connection. Chicken tractor here. They raise bulls - leaner.

@strongness13 13 жыл бұрын

Wow! This guy is sooooo smart. Why didn't anyone ever think of these things? Wait a minute, we have! My grandfather raised four children implementing the same strategies. My grandfather and father have been growing "organic" food for decades, way before it was cool. Come on people, he's not that cool. It just makes sense, and its extremely obvious. Self righteous arrogant "intellectual."

@Superstarfruit888 11 жыл бұрын

What if the apple blossom just wants to make the bee happy in gratitude for the pollination that happens as the bee gathers it's own food source? The bee was going to eat anyway - the apple blossom shows gratitude and because the hungry bee appreciates that gratitude, a strong bond of loving friendship - a relationship - is built between them based upon love and mutual support. What about that, Michael? :D

@wedchidnaok1150 5 жыл бұрын

Yup, nicely said. Micheal would benefit his time-vessel-self by tricking literary litterature to feed his mind with new worldviews. Free(dom) lunch -- and it may even raise his productivity level by over nine thousand. Adventure Time's episode entitled "Scamps" is no book to smell, but it do help in such regard.

@11889music 15 жыл бұрын

Vitamin B-12 can be stored in the human body for up to 3 decades before needing to replenish it's supply. So, I doubt it is crucial to get a daily supply. Also, vitamin B-12 can be absorbed from naturally growing plants. Due to our insanely strict sanitation policies and use of chemicals, the vitamin B-12 gets lost from the surface of the vegetables and fruits that we eat. Essentially, the dirt particles on plants contain the B-12 that herbivores get to survive.

@Nitrognhorse 11 жыл бұрын

Fungi are capable of doing this too; the fungus that leafcutter ants farm is not found outside leafcutter ant nests. That sounds like the fungus is in control. It's been speculated that yeast (a microfungus) controlled much of human agriculture along with grains :D

@leishayoung4124 10 жыл бұрын

I love this talk. I love the whole concept that we are all just pawns in nature's grand scheme! Nobody is in control! NOBODY!!! Ha ha ha ha ha! (that is meant to be an evil laugh) :-)

@adorejunk 15 жыл бұрын

yes but people who take over the counter meds for Gerd and reflex are risking being depleted of B-12. So its important to supplement.

@tombuckland 15 жыл бұрын

It's "PolyFace" actually, Joel Salatin is the farmer if you're interested.

@riderlibertas2580 12 жыл бұрын

No, that the chickens get the food that they have evolved to eat. In factory farming most of the chickens can't even walk because they are fed a diet that causes their bodies to grow so fast their legs can't hold them up.

@lucasalce6010 5 жыл бұрын

This seems like the answer to a question, but what was the question?

@ilovegrumpybear1 13 жыл бұрын

What a smart guy.

@TaniDraws 14 жыл бұрын

Ooooh! I'm reading his book 'In defence of food' right now! Very interesting to listen to him speak =)

@strongness13 13 жыл бұрын

@RamadaArtist It is true that a lack of biodiversity in the genetic pool leads to an increase in overall disease susceptibility. (i.e. a lack of haplotype diversity in the molecular rearrangements of MHC I and II). However, these animals not only serve as a food source but also as research subjects throughout academia. Therefore the very animals that are becoming susceptible to emerging disease are also being protected with new biotechnology (sometimes applicable to humans).

@strongness13 13 жыл бұрын

@movewithtao I only presented my arguments because there is a huge disconnect between the general public and the veterinarians/producers. Look at Prop 2, no veterinarians were involved in its development. This is a common theme across America with various other props. Pollan has a M.S., he is a journalist, not a scientist, or a health care professional. Use your common sense, listen to veterinarians (not me, ask one with a DVM), ask an individual with a PhD, not a journalist that gardens.

@strongness13 13 жыл бұрын

@movewithtao Yes, cows eat grass ( and anything ranging from sawdust to cotton seed) which is then broken down by microorganisms in their rumen and converted to free fatty acids which are then absorbed and converted to molecules in various biochemical processes in the production of amino acids, sugars, and lipids. If you want I can give you a tour of the anatomical/physiological processes that take place in the bovine species.

@anonymousxnegation2721 3 жыл бұрын

Beautiful plants 🤗

@BoingotheClown 15 жыл бұрын

I wonder where I can learn more about polyphase farming.

@riccer24 13 жыл бұрын

This is easy for people to jump on board with, but not necessarily the truth. Everyone should check out Dr. Oppenlander's lecture, "Comfortably Unaware" on the truth about how sustainable grass fed beef really is.

@ShitboxHeaven 15 жыл бұрын

Yes. The farmer's website and his books -- look up Joel Salatin.

@eaton55r 4 жыл бұрын

ENCOURAGING and Interesting. I want to do this kind of gardening in Arizona mountains using a mixture of wildlife and farm animals with the desire that they each will benefit each other, the land and even learn traits from each other. Like; dependence or lack of it, cooperation and unknown. Does anyone know of similar projects?

@vespervolta 12 жыл бұрын

so how is this different from factory farming? that the chickens might be allowed out into a field occasionally?

@htoromoreno 14 жыл бұрын

I think this sounds more like Pollan's "Botany of Desire" ... IMHO

@buybulkwhey 15 жыл бұрын

Just finished his book In defends of food... 5 stars!

@thesumofparts 15 жыл бұрын

Truly fascinating stuff! Great video.

@strongness13 13 жыл бұрын

@movewithtao New animals are quarantined when they first arrive to feedlots. This decreases the chances of spread of non-endemic pathogen. I don't know if you've been our riding fences and know the differences between feedlot and range grown cattle farmers, but they are both extremely intelligent. Believe it or not some of the largest corporations in the animal production business are private businesses that have been farming for decades.

@nubbs1320 15 жыл бұрын

100 acres, PLUS the 450 of forrest, though. but still, impressive.

@strongness13 13 жыл бұрын

@movewithtao In addition, cattle raised on pasture is not more effective, although a lot of cow-calf operations do free range their cattle (look at northern Idaho and Oregon). Finishing cattle on feedlots is a highly effective way to minimize the exposure to various pathogens. Keeping animals infected with Salmonella (for example) sequestered from the rest of the herd decreases the likelihood of them transmitting the pathogen to the rest of the herd. Simple epidemiology.

@ManBearPiglet 16 жыл бұрын

Even though I hold the exact opposite beliefs, I agree with you. It is certainly a beneficial way to view the environment. Not because it promotes some socialist agenda, or because it lowers the harm we do to the environment. It's because it will greatly increase the efficiency of harvesting our environment, and will lead to an all-round better human understanding of our world. If the plants and animals are willing to be harvested or used (because they benefit), it will be much easier to do so.

@bjo0404 13 жыл бұрын

Sounds like the way to go

@strongness13 13 жыл бұрын

@movewithtao The reasoning of your first sentence if flawed, although intuitively it sounds like it would make sense. You can't look at all 500 head on a feedlot a lot faster than you can on 500 ha. If any of the cattle are showing ill thrift on a feedlot, you can quickly pull them and put them in a hospital pen for further evaluation. There are very few parasite infections on feedlots. This is due to the tight control measures and LACK of environmental exposure.

@strongness13 13 жыл бұрын

@RamadaArtist I don't condone the idea of decreasing biodiversity, and neither do producers. They implement registered programs to ensure that semen/breeding stock come from diverse genetic background. Keep in mind Ramada, we're not talking about a rainforest/cheetah population; we're talking about animals within our food production systems. It a lot of cases it is easier to control the quality, production efficiency, and medical Tx of animals that are genetically similar.

@doloreskent 11 жыл бұрын

Great information!

@notretsechkg 16 жыл бұрын

The urban model is the same as the industrial feedlot model. Instead of natural cycles, you have nothing but costly inputs (almost always subsidized by confiscatory governments) and harmful outputs (so-called "food" with a fatty acid balance resulting in epidemic chronic disease and expensive and harmful "wastes" -- manure, something that, in natural form, is a gift to the soil but that becomes a cost center in agribusiness and urban policy.)

@ManBearPiglet 16 жыл бұрын

The species does what's best for its survival... though subconsciously and unknowingly. To manipulate another species is merely to reach a compromise wherein both species benefit. If it is harmful to neither, the relationship will continue. If it's not harmful, natural selection won't wipe it out.

@XxmattitudexX 16 жыл бұрын

Cannibis has done the best job at this what other plant gets treated so well ? tended in exclusive indoor gardens under artificial lights on a mass scale.

@waswestkan 12 жыл бұрын

I believe Darwin did come to use the term survival of the fittest later on. Not to replace natural, but as a modifying factor selection

@Rantandreason 16 жыл бұрын

The Nash equilibrium in all it's glory.

@strongness13 13 жыл бұрын

@movewithtao It is hard for me to write with substance when I only have 500 characters. I'm currently a 2nd year veterinary student with a masters of science in veterinary science. If you want to read a bunch of stuff you won't understand, ask me about herd production management and medicine. You are right it takes a lot of land to grow food for animals, but the beef/dairy/poultry/swine farmers are a lot more efficient then you give them credit.

@Pianofy 13 жыл бұрын

Brilliant :)

@RabbitHoleLabs 16 жыл бұрын

...some have more complex minds. :) Seriously though, more people need to look at things from alternate perspectives. Just because we "think", doesn't automatically make us good at it.

@kpacuBua 14 жыл бұрын

9:30 he does it :)))

@notretsechkg 16 жыл бұрын

>it is MUCH more efficient to grow No it's not -- unless you are talking about the industrial food factory feedlot beef where we cram down their throats the monocropped corn and soy raised on diesel and petroleum pesticides and herbicides. It's not efficient to deprive the land of the grazing animals that adapted for thousands of years right along with the grasses. Doing so only breaks the natural cycle, depleting the land of phosporous and many other trace minerals.

@Mongodelight 15 жыл бұрын

dont you think its very subjectiv if humans figure out if cooking is good or bad? i mean you only see what you want to see.

@strongness13 13 жыл бұрын

@movewithtao BTW I was mocking him. My grandfather was a self made farmer, who did what he had to do. He provided via the sweat of his brow and the calluses on his hands. Things are different then what you think, Food Inc., Pollan's books, or Oprah are only giving you the information they think you want to hear. All in the hopes to sway your voting and donations. Look at HSUS (human society of U.S.). I challenge you to look at the $ they give to local humane societies, then look at their budget

@RamadaArtist 13 жыл бұрын

@strongness13 Except that any esteemed biologist would support the major tenants of biodiversity which Pollan talks about here (in not so many words) in the place of monocropping (or mono-meating) which, while perhaps "efficient" for total throughput, is ecologically unsound, and, in particular, genetically unhealthy. Short term veterinary practices may keep a living stock healthy, but as the genetic pool becomes homogenized it is susceptible to wide spread disease. History agrees.

@strongness13 13 жыл бұрын

@movewithtao As far as manure goes you should read a bit on the USDA site about CAFO, NPDES & the EPA standards of deposition of manure as fertilizer. I hope I replied with "substance," like I said I can write you a dissertation on nullifying the arguments Pollan brings up. One more thing, the animals you eat via feedlot farms are healthy. It does the producer no good to raise unhealthy animals in an inhumane manner, think about it, the animals are their livelihood.

@wahnano 15 жыл бұрын

Cannabis Sativa, Man Under-Stand :0)

@chrisherself 12 жыл бұрын

Probably because he's Ray Kroc.

@shakaama 15 жыл бұрын

so this is a single farmer? not a big corporation? why are farmers going broke and disappearing to corporations?

@matshroom 14 жыл бұрын

the omnivores next dilema!

@waswestkan 12 жыл бұрын

Sorry that fact your cat has health insurance, is because it's more about you than the cat. You know that you are likely will have the critter treated if ever need be, and are covering your butt financially. Not that I'm saying that's wrong.

@slytown 14 жыл бұрын

Fuck ethanol. :)

@ManBearPiglet 16 жыл бұрын

No we need to update our technology instead. That's the route we took. We think we're controlling everything, but it explains in the video that we don't control much more than the other species. The only advantage we have is the ability to understand it all.

@robertbarker33 2 жыл бұрын

Most Excellent √√√ Listen Up, Learn . . . ReAnimate the World

@lordmetroid 16 жыл бұрын

This as he says in the beginning is nothing new.

@Trazynn 13 жыл бұрын

@EATshitanddrinkbleac quinoa however...

@AxiomofDiscord 16 жыл бұрын

Some can take a vegetarian life style they are not the majority of human beings. That is my opinion. I suffered at the hands of such a lifestyle and am gladly putting that part of my life behind me. Yet I have vegan friends that thrive, I just can not join them.

@herbalpeace 11 жыл бұрын

Ethanol is usefull dude! Can't make my tinctures without ethanol lol. I also need it to sterilize my blade when i graft my cacti

@waswestkan 12 жыл бұрын

Most likely a transcript at 1triple-w dot ted dot com

@patternsinchaos 16 жыл бұрын

"Looking at the world from other species points of view is a cure for the disease of human self-importance." *whack*

@11889music 16 жыл бұрын

Well, that is an entertaining opinion. Until you show some evidence or at least name the "key vitamins" I cannot believe in your opinion. What Health defects? Do you realize how many healthy people are raised on a vegetarian diet all of their life?!

@nickhayley 3 жыл бұрын

But, for a moment, let's look at the world through an animal's eye view. Exploited and killed for a burger at the hand of a man who romanticizes their deaths in the name of "sustainability". Joel Salatin, talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing.

@FrankTaeger2021 16 жыл бұрын

Those meta studies are basically useless due to their scientifically very vague way of analyzing things. By the vegetarian is not problematic. You can easily gain most stuff through eggs and dairy. Vegan is what is very problematic.

@patternsinchaos 16 жыл бұрын

"entertaining insights about human desire" *blam*

@strongness13 13 жыл бұрын

@movewithtao "...benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources..." Let me ask you this, have you ever heard an animal scientist, veterinarian, or any non ecology biologist ratify Pollan's stuff? Sure I'll tear him down, his ideals and his political agenda, as well as HSUS and other groups, will cause a protein source infrastructure implosion.

@strongness13 13 жыл бұрын

@movewithtao He is self righteous. He speaks to individuals who have no concept of reality. I know that may sound mean, but it's true. He plays to people emotions, just like Oprah, HSUS, etc. He doesn't speak about reality. Sure his concepts are great, but answer me this, do you see any individuals in starving Africa complaining about animal welfare issues? Don't get me wrong I'm all for animal welfare, in fact I took an oath before entering veterinary school.