Michael Pollan’s Journey into Consciousness – with Sarah Kanowski

Wed, 4th Nov 2026 07:00 pm

Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney NSW 2000

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The more we look at consciousness, the trippier it gets Consciousness colours every thought you’ve ever had, every memory you’ve ever made and every moment you’ve ever experienced. Yet there’s no agreement where it comes from. Does the brain create consciousness or does it receive it? Could plants have it? Might artificial intelligence one day feel something? Or have we been asking the wrong questions all along? In his latest book, A World Appears, Michael Pollan turns his attention to one of science’s greatest mysteries. Drawing on neuroscience, philosophy, meditation, psychedelics and theoretical physics, he charts the elusive continent of consciousness, exploring radical perspectives on how we might begin to understand it. In this fascinating conversation, Pollan explores the surprising ideas emerging at the frontiers of consciousness research, where altered states, ancient philosophies and modern science collide. Are we on the brink of what Pollan calls a “Copernican moment”, where we’re starting to see a universe around us more animated than we ever imagined? From grey spongy matter to vast metaphysical questions, you’re invited into the strange, fascinating terrain where biology meets imagination. Presented by Sydney Opera House. Event Partner The University of Sydney.