Episode 302: Is the Earth Growing a Brain?...with Topher McDougal

09/09/2025 53 min

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Episode Synopsis

On this episode of Give and Take, I talk with Topher McDougal, author of Gaia Wakes: Earth's Emergent Consciousness in an Age of Environmental Devastation. (https://www.amazon.com/Gaia-Wakes-Consciousness-Environmental-Devastation/dp/1788218280) In the book, McDougal explores the provocative idea that the planet itself might be waking up—that Earth, long treated as a backdrop to human drama, is revealing itself as a conscious, responsive system in the midst of ecological crisis.
We talk about what it means to think of the Earth as a living, even sentient, entity; how this vision challenges modern science and philosophy; and why embracing a more relational way of seeing our world could be key to surviving the environmental devastation we face. It’s a wide-ranging conversation about philosophy, ecology, and the deep stories we tell about our place in the cosmos. Special Guest: Topher McDougal.

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