Reddit reviews The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World
We found 37 Reddit comments about The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Great product!
Bingo. There's a whole school of study and thought around the concept of animals and plants which have taken the evolutionary route of being useful and harvestable to another species in order for themselves to thrive. I highly recommend The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan, which explores how the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato have all evolved to serve a specific human desire. Good stuff. Personally, I'm fond of chickens. There are more than 20 billion chickens on Earth at any given time simply because they're delicious and relatively easy to raise for harvest. It's a great strategy, chickens aren't going extinct any time soon. In a way, they're gaming the system.
I wouldn't hold my breath or assume that it is a "fact". Judging from the negative reviews on Amazon the book is full of bad science and unfounded speculations.
Never read it, probably never will.
Some remarks:
>In fact, he merely collects a few observations, speculations and his own personal circumperambulations of, about and around a plant and tosses them into the hopper. His chapter on marijuana was so incoherant I began to think it was deliberate - an exemplar of marijuana's effect.
and another
>What is unfortunate about this book is that it has and will be read by many people who have not been exposed to much science writing and, even worse, think that what Pollen is writing about is well-reasoned and insightful. It is neither. Dates and facts are routinely confused and the grasp of theology is as weak as science. If one is interested in evolution, Stephen Jay Gould is a good place to start; for natural history, Diane Ackerman is a great writer who also knows how to do her research.
Source
Obviously just peoples' opinions but I would take the broomstick-dildo connection with a grain of salt.
Botany of Desire is a great book. In addition to potatoes, you also get apples, marijuana, and tulips.
> The Botany of Desire
The book is pretty good, too. ;)
If anyone wants to read a good account of the tulip craze, read Michael Pollan's "Botany of Desire." It looks at 4 plants as 4 examples of how humans have interacted with plants throughout history for various reasons: tulips for beauty, potatoes for storage, marijuana for changing consciousness, and apples for breeding new varieties. Its a fun read!
PBS has it online for free: http://video.pbs.org/video/1283872815/
The book is here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Botany-Desire-Plants-Eye-World/dp/0375760393
Ethical Concern: The GMO corn is trademarked by <insert well known chemical company here> and the seed is sold to farmers who invest in it. Corn propagates by wind, neighbor farmer did not buy in but now his seed stock is infiltrated and the trademark owners sue him for stealing seed stock or some other violation of copyright. Local farmer caves to relentless legal pressure, soon all food stock is owned by corporations. This could get really wild (The Windup Girl), but so far that's still sci-fi, right?
Environmental Concern: Most GMO crops are created by chemical companies who in turn make products effective on plants that were not created by them. Rather than taking time to work with the environment these companies amass petrochemical sprays (a further economical cost to the farmer as well) and bombard regions so their plant survives. This chemical mixture goes into the soil and water where it in turn effects us; you do know that ALL drinking water is recycled I hope.
So you might be right, there might not be concerns on the healthy diet level (though we all know how wonderful the American diet is for us all). But there are larger socioeconomic issues here as well. To lock this only on a healthy for diet issue is absurd. I highly recommend Botany of Desire (book or PBS) as the potato chapter is enlightening on this measure (from an economic standpoint). Basically; organic food is far more economic in terms of space, maintenance, and profit per square foot.
Feel free to check my sources. I'm not a historian, I just communicate the information I've been made aware of.
This book was extremely entertaining.
The Botany of Desire
Pollan's Botany of Desire has an entire section devoted to the domestication of cannabis.
I will check that out, thanks! This post reminded me of The Botany of Desire, which is what inspired my comment.
Thanks for mentioning "Botany of Desire". Sounds very interesting. Will give it a read. (Amazon link)
> It's not necessary to keep fruits appealing to wild animals if we are spreading and planting them ourselves.
This is more or less the premise of the excellent book, The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. It describes four different plants, and how they have "used" humans to become some of the most prolific species in the world.
The Tulip by Anna Pavord and The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan both give excellent descriptions of 'Tulipomania' in Holland in the 1700s.
if you grow an apple tree from a seed the chance of having edible fruit is ridiculously small. And if you actually end up with one, you can name it, sell grafts from it and become quite wealthy off of it.
For example, every Granny Smith Apple is descended from one particular tree in Australia somewhere. But if you take the seeds from that apple, it's offspring will have nothing in common with it.
Source: The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World
Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City is an amazing book. The main point is about Ford trying to create a company town in Brazil in order to grow rubber. But the books gives you a great picture of Ford the man, the company, what the era was like and the larger philosophical and economic ideas behind this project. Honestly, for me it read like fiction- I couldn't put it down.
They Marched Into Sunlight: War and Peace Vietnam and America October 1967 looks at the Vietnam war from three different perspectives, from students protesting, to the actual front and then from the government officials. The narrative is amazing and it's so well researched that it was captivating as well, but I think he really captured the feeling of the times as well, which is so great to see in a book.
Michael Pollan is know most for Omnivore's Dilemma (which is a great read) but I really love his first book too, and that doesn't get as much attention, which is still very interesting is The Botany of Desire. He goes through the history of 4 different plants, apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes. Not too interesting on the surface, but he makes the stories fascinating. It's a great in its overarching nature about our relationships with plants.
[Marriage: A History by Stephanie Coontz] (http://www.amazon.com/Marriage-History-How-Love-Conquered/dp/014303667X) is another one I always recommend. It is an expansive work showing that the idea of Marriage has been in flux since the beginning and completely depended on the culture and time period. It's well researched but also a compelling work.
Michael Pollan wrote a fascinating book from the "Plant's View" of the world, and how it influences us in ways we usually don't give it credit for. 200 bits /u/changetip
Have you read The Botany of Desire? I absolutely loved it.
A Short History of Nearly Everything, A People's History of the United States, Freakonomics, The Botany of Desire, Sun Magazine
You won't regret it. That book literally turned me on to non-fiction (before that I basically only read novels). It already provides a pretty scathing analysis of corn. But if you want even more of that sort of thing check out the author's earlier The Botany of Desire. Now I don't drive past a corn field without giving it an evil glare.
Sup homie,
Now firstly before I get into the actual books I am going to recommend Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast - He's effectively doing audiobooks via podcast these days (I'm actually re-listening to "Prophets of Doom" at the moment, it's about 4 hours 30 minutes of excellent storytelling of historical events) - Really, really recommend that. (you can also buy all the old episodes).
Now onto the History Nonfiction books themselves:
Michael Pollan - The Botany of Desire - While somewhat more of an analysis of how plants have become and evolved according to human cultivation the book does an excellent job of historically breaking down each major event and process involved.
John H. Mayer - Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe That Ended the Outlaws' Bloody Reign - Title says it all. Pirates. Open seas. History. Strong recommend.
Alfred Lansing - Endurance - Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - If you love an amazing story of stoicism, heroism, and amazing leadership then anything about Shackleton should be on your list. This epic tale follows Sir Ernest Shackleton's voyage on the Endurance with the aim to cross the Antarctic - which failed. What happened next throughout the following months is an monument to the incredible spirit of a man, his crew, and the desire to get everyone home.
If you need more try looking into the below:
Niall Ferguson - The War of the World
William L. Shirer The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich A History of Nazi Germany
Andrew Roberts - The Storm of War
Jared Diamond - Guns, Germs, and Steel
Marcus Aurelius - Meditations
Good read on the botanical equiv: The Botany of Desire
I found these books very educational. They definitely have changed my worldview on the history of agriculture, human ecology, and economics.
They really make you think that if Anglo-Western style capitalism or agriculture were non-existent, the world would be just fine.
http://www.amazon.com/Mayflower-Story-Courage-Community-War/dp/0143111973/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321693822&amp;sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/1491-Revelations-Americas-Before-Columbus/dp/1400032059/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321693987&amp;sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321694010&amp;sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Botany-Desire-Plants-Eye-View-World/dp/0375760393/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321694049&amp;sr=1-1
Botany of Desire. The title turned me off, but it's actually really interesting and my whole family has read and enjoyed it.
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary lives in North Korea Serious stuff, but so fascinating.
Stumbling on Happiness. Fun read on human nature and happiness.
The best history I've read is Michael Pollen's Botany of Desire. Specifically as it relate to the monocultures of apples that are produced for their color and sweetness, compared to their original use as something to create alcohol.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375760393?v=glance
Unfortunately the free preview doesn't give you much of substance, but the opening section is about apples in the new world.
Also note that we only mass produce and mass consume the sweetest fruits. E.g. navel oranges aren't a common type of orange. They're grafts of a single tree discovered in brazil that have been spread across Florida for their sweetness.
Not sure if you've read it, but another interesting book that talks about the tulip is the Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0375760393/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1509852536&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&amp;keywords=botany+of+desire&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=51NZ3hCsYVL&amp;ref=plSrch
(Sorry about the poor formatting, I'm on mobile and can't seem to get the link to work, otherwise.)
The Botany of Desire: A Plant's Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
I agree. As long as we try and respect them I think they can help.
YOu might want to check this out.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Botany-Desire-Plants-Eye-World/dp/0375760393
Well someone read their copy of Botany of Desire
Botany of Desire
One River
Silent Spring
Basin and Range or most anything by John McPhee
Cadillac Desert
> I understand what you're saying about plants, but all I'm saying is that reacting to stimuli in order to flourish does not mean that a plant can "experience" in the same way that animals can.
I didn't say plants and animals experience the same. Obviously they don't, as they don't have brains, nor senses in the way animals do.
Do you think animals do anything differently than react to stimuli? Your response to this post when you read it is already 'decided' at the moment you read it, you're not going to be able to actually do things any differently than your past up to that moment's influences will have you do. This post is stimuli, and you will react accordingly. Just as I can't help but reply :)
> You're conflating "striving for life" with "experiencing life". You were saying that it was good to you that you're alive. It makes no difference to the plant's "psyche" whether it's alive or dead. It has no experience either way.
The plant not experiencing in the way we do does not mean the plant does not have interests. Plants are very interesting, we domesticate them and they likewise domesticate us. The Rose for example is a plant that continued to evolve to appeal to humans to help it survive and spread across the world. There's a lot about this, The Botany of Desire is a very interesting read.
All life acts the same way, replicates, tries to survive as well as it can. Plants and animals both do this, as do other microorganisms, all life does this.
> Not quite. Of course I grant you that life exploits other life, but I don't grant you that this is fine. You are making the value judgment by saying it's okay, and I am disagreeing for reasons that include things like suffering.
I start with nature and when things try to deny inherent aspects of nature I look at them very skeptically.
Why don't you think it's fine that life exploits other life? How can it be any other way?
It's almost like you want nature to exist where nothing dies and nothing suffers?
Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
It was called "Tulip mania" you can read about it here and here some really crazy stuff.
EDIT: srry, didn't actually click the link haha but regardless some further reading if it piques your interest
The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan.
America needs to see Marijuana as a business opportunity, not a problem. We're capitalists, let's not pay taxes to incarcerate someone who could be the taxable consumer of a taxable product of a taxable industry. There are numerous low and high skill jobs directly related. Opportunity means jobs, jobs mean income and stability for America. Obama has blundered on marijuana policy, Mexico's drug war worsens, our economy is bleeding, it's time to try something new.
A new industry is something America needs right now. Tobacco helped build early America, we're no stranger to this system. It's an un-taxed estimated $35-45 billion business opportunity. We don't even have to subsidize it, there's already enough available market to privately fund it anyway. What's the harm to try? Very few living Americans have even lived in a legal drug society. Surely it could not be worse than what we have now. Our drug policy has been failing since it made our own people the enemy. Every year it costs more money, time, and lives. People are dying out in the world because of this prohibition, it's unacceptable. The solution is right there in front of us waiting to be set in motion.
"Big Marijuana" is a scary future indeed, but one much more agreeable than prison. The distribution networks in existence are already pretty local, I imagine it would be challenging to dethrone them were it legalized. It's a flower, time is definitely a factor in transportation. The flower farms of Central America and the US already have sophisticated air transport systems in place so international business may become available in coming years as well. Additionally, industrial hemp would fit perfectly into our existing agriculture industry. If it were legal, any person could grow it in their garden just like they do other flowers. Medical patients in some states already do grow their own, so I'm not worried about a Monsanto-mono-marijuana apocalypse.
It all sounds grandiose, but American industry is a powerhouse. Sometimes we forget that here in reddit internet land. It's easy to feel like we're shit and everything is hopeless in America. For many the basic physiological and safety needs have long been won, instead, love/belonging, esteem and self actualization are the battles to be won. Dynamic and adaptive policy should be a sign of honor, the will of the nation accurately guiding it's destiny. Advanced drug policy is part of the self-actualization process, maybe we're not there yet; I say we are. Other countries are beating us in drug policy and if it's one thing America hates, it's not being first place. I want to sit and laugh at how much money we're making and reminisce the old days of prohibition. I believe in that future, that's why I'm so adamant.
Have you read the Botany of Desire? If big Industry gets a hold of Cannabis like it did Corn, well, it might have been what the plant wanted!
I believe this is part of a documentary called "The Botany of Desire" based on a book of the same name. It's a really good read, here is the link to it if you're interested, http://www.amazon.com/Botany-Desire-Plants-Eye-View-World/dp/0375760393
So far the best book I've read has been Guns, Germs, and Steel. Right now I'm reading Botany of Desire, which is pretty interesting. And after I finish that I think something old-fashioned and cheesy would be nice. So I'm probably going to read Edgar Rice Burroughs's Venus series.
The Origins of Fruit and Vegetables of Jonathan Roberts is my bible <3
https://www.amazon.com/Origins-Fruit-Vegetables-Jonathan-Roberts/dp/0789306565
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And I agree, Botany of Desire is a good starter !
https://www.amazon.com/Botany-Desire-Plants-Eye-View-World/dp/0375760393/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1G9DWQF9KY9ZR&keywords=botany+of+desire&qid=1562782042&s=books&sprefix=botany+%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C235&sr=1-1