The botany of desire
a plant's eye view of the world
by Michael Pollan, Sébastien Marty · first published 2001
70% recommend30% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Thought-provoking look at how plants like apples, corn and cannabis have co-evolved with humans, shaping history and culture; suits curious readers interested in plants, crops and civilization.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
A Random House Trade Paperback
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…We contribute to their survival and spread by continually re-planting them -- corn, for example, is arguably the king of this kind of adaptation. For more on this, I highly recommend Michael Pollan's "Botany of Desire" or, for a shorter version, his TED talk on the same subject.
on “Sorry, Vegans: Brussels Sprouts Like to Live, Too” ↗…different fitness track than that of animals. Plants have evolved incredible manipulation of chemistry, far beyond what humans can produce today, let alone even understand. I recently finished reading Botany of Desire (Michael Pollan) where he describes how plants have co-evolved with humans, appealing to our selection of flowers, fruits, and vegetables to further distribute their DNA. Who's actually farming who? Interesting…
on “Memories of positive associations get written onto DNA” ↗He does seem to be sliding down hill. A decade ago I picked up his book The Botany of Desire not knowing what kind of writer he was or his fame. It was a very interesting read, especially the part about apples and the history of their variety. It led me to try other, more delicious varieties…
on “Regarding Michael Pollan’s New Book This Is Your Mind on Plants” ↗Honeycrisp are amazing. So are Jazz, if you can find them. Our local grocer has many interesting kinds. Also, read Michael Pollan's "The Botany of Desire" for a more in-depth treatment of apple biodiversity vs. the market forces.
on “The Awful Reign of the Red Delicious” ↗Michael Pollan's less known book, The Botany of Desire, is an excellent read and examines four crops -- one of them the Apple -- that have shaped human history.
on “Wild Apples (1862)” ↗I highly recommend The Botany of Desire (Michael Pollan) which dives even deeper on this thought across a variety of relationships in nature.
on “A Poetic, Mind-Bending Tour of the Fungal World” ↗Michael Pollan's book The Botany of Desire has this and a lot more on apples for anyone interested.
on “New variety of apple discovered by Wiltshire runner” ↗…Every schoolchild learns about the mutually beneficial dance of honeybees and flowers: The bee collects nectar and pollen to make honey and, in the process, spreads the flowers’ genes far and wide. In The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan ingeniously demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a similarly reciprocal relationship. He masterfully links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, intoxication,…
on “We Will Soon Have Sentient Sex Robots. Will They Be Able to Consent?” ↗I haven’t read his more recent writings, but The Botany of Desire is a fascinating book. It will show you how interesting the history of plants and their relationship with culture can be. I read it many years ago, but I still find myself going “did you know...” to people…
on “Regarding Michael Pollan’s New Book This Is Your Mind on Plants” ↗I’m not sure where the idea came from, but Michael Pollan has also propagated in his books this idea that human beings have been domesticated by plants. See, The Botany of Desire.
on “Animals changed by proximity to humans” ↗Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan is a great book / documentary that explores this view.
on “The gut microbiome helps social skills develop in the brain in fish” ↗Sitting by my bed is a copy of Michael Pollan's book "The botany of desire" he discusses Johny Appleseed in depth well worth the read.
on “The Appalachian Apple Hunter Who Rescued 1k ‘Lost’ Varieties” ↗Yep, this is more or less the thesis of M. Pollan's 'The Botany of Desire,' which, whatever one thinks of his stance or other works, is a thought-provoking read [misguided treatment of Appleseed expert W.E. Jones aside]
on “Eating food from plants that have struggled to survive toughens us up as well” ↗Consider reading The Botany of Desire. It doesn't need to experience an emotion of wanting in order to effectively want things. Corn doesn't experience a feeling of wanting, and yet it has manipulated us even into creating a lot of it, doing…
on “ChatGPT Plugins” ↗Any time. Both In Defense of Food and The Omnivore's Dilemma are great. My wife also swears by The Botany of Desire but I haven't read it yet.
on “Joel on Software: Anecdotes” ↗