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person1990s-present

Michael Pollan

Disciplines:
journalism
culture/food culture

Summary

American journalist who has written the most influential popular books on food, food systems, and recently psychedelics.

Core Contribution

The Omnivore's Dilemma: a four-meal anthropology of American food systems — industrial corn, industrial organic, local pastoral, hunted/gathered. In Defense of Food: 'Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.' How to Change Your Mind: a rigorous journalistic account of the psychedelic renaissance — brought the topic to mainstream attention.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • How to Change Your Mind single-handedly shifted the discourse on psychedelic research from fringe to mainstream — published in 2018, it preceded the FDA's breakthrough therapy designations for psilocybin and MDMA.

Notable Works & Achievements

The Omnivore's Dilemma

In Defense of Food

How to Change Your Mind

Historical Influences

Frances Moore Lappé Wendell Berry

Intellectual Lineage

Food JournalismEnvironmental Journalism

Contemporaries & Peers

Barbara Kingsolver Mark Bittman

Minds Influenced

Food MovementPsychedelic Therapy Discourse

Intellectual Posterity

Food Systems Journalism Psychedelic Journalism

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