Quicklet on Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire (CliffNotes-like Summary, Analysis, and Review)

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ABOUT THE BOOK

For look into a flower, and what do you see? Into the very hear of natures double naturethat is, the contending energies of creation and dissolution, the spiring toward complex form and the tidal pull away from it. Apollo and Dionysus were names the Greeks gave to these two faces of nature, and nowhere in nature is their contest as plain or as poignant as it is in the beauty of a flower and its rapid passing.

Published over ten years ago, Michael Pollans The Botany of Desire: A Plants-Eye View of The World has had a profound impact on a generation increasingly sensitive to their interaction with nature and the environment. Teaching us to bridge gaps and take on perspectives other than our own, Pollan shows us revelatory information regarding our shared history with plants.

Throughout the book, the dichotomy of the Apollonian and Dionysian are expounded upon the balance that is inherent in nature. Ideally, there is a give and take between controlled clarity and the seemingly chaotic. This extends to the reciprocal relationship between man and plant.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Britt Keller enjoys writing on any number of topics in order to share her understanding and perspective with others. She went to school for design, but has lately become more interested in reading, writing, philosophy, etcetera.

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

The Basic Desire

All beings are united by the most basic of desires: making copies of itself. For Pollan, the next logical step was to seriously consider the plants point of view. More specifically: the apple, the tulip, cannabis, and the potato. While we consider them domesticized, that gives the impression that were in charge. Unequivocally, they are in turn manipulating us, each party ensuring the survival of the other species. Further, by looking at the social history of each of these plants, we find highly accurate clues about the history of mankind. We shape them, and they shape us. In tracing our relation to the development of each plant, we unlock a multitude of implications about who we are.

Whos Domesticating Whom?

Recognizing the complexity and sophistication of plants lies in appreciating the difference in direction theyve taken to invent new strategies of survival. Transforming water, soil, and sunlight, they are true alchemists…

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CHAPTER OUTLINE

Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World

+ About The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of The World

+ About Michael Pollan

+ Overall Summary

+ The Human Bumblebee

+ …and much more