Listen "Episode 302: Is the Earth Growing a Brain?...with Topher McDougal"
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.
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.
More episodes of the podcast Give and Take
Episode 307: Hamilton vs. Jefferson: The Battle That Still Shapes America, with Jeffrey Rosen
13/10/2025
Episode 306: Nations Apart: How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America, with Colin Woodard
24/09/2025
Episode 304: Playback, with Carla Malden
16/09/2025
Episode 301: Morbidly Curious: A Scientist Explains Why We Can't Look Away, with Coltan Scrivner
07/09/2025
Episode 300: My Guest Is Scott Jones...
02/09/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.