Consciousness and cognition in plants.
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science September 23, 2021 Miguel Segundo-Ortin, P. Calvo
The article argues that plants may possess cognitive capabilities and possibly consciousness, challenging the traditional view that plant behavior is fully determined by genetics or environment. It reviews empirical research on plant cognition and introduces plant neurobiology, focusing on electrical and chemical signaling as potential biological bases for plant sentience. The authors do not provide a positive argument for plant consciousness but invite an empirically informed debate. They suggest that if consciousness is a biological adaptation, plants might have evolved their own subjective experience, and they present approaches to scientifically investigate this possibility.