Looking at the world from other species’ points of view is a cure for the disease of human self-importance.

Pollan argues that anthropocentrism—treating human concerns as the measure of all things—distorts how we understand nature and our place within it. By attempting to imagine the world as other organisms perceive and navigate it, we are forced to confront the limits of human senses, values, and narratives. This shift in perspective works as a “cure” because it punctures the assumption of human centrality and invites humility: humans become one species among many, embedded in ecological relationships rather than standing above them. The line also implies an ethical payoff: greater attentiveness to nonhuman lives can temper exploitation and encourage more responsible, reciprocal ways of living on a shared planet.