Wade Davis on What it Means to be Human and Alive

Photo credit: Ryan Hill

Wade Davis might have the most amazing job on the planet. Trained as an anthropologist and ethnobotonist, he's lived among some of the most remarkable cultures of the world and been witness to (and participant in) many moments that no outsider has ever seen. Davis has written scores of books, but is probably best known for The Serpent and the Rainbow, a riveting account of his journey into Haitian voodoo culture to find the zombie potion. He talks with TreeHugger Radio about the essential importance of cultural diversity, and what each culture brings to "the table of human knowledge." He also discusses his newest book, The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World, lends his thoughts to the questions of "appropriate technology" and microfinance (they won't save the world), and comes clean about the fact that he hasn't seen Avatar.