Plant cognition. Challenges and horizons in philosophical reflection

This article examines the growing impact that the cognitive behaviours of plants, sessile organisms without a nervous system, are having in various areas of philosophical research. The consideration will focus primarily on spillovers into cognitive science, the philosophy of mind, and biosemiotics, although there are other areas that this new exploration of the capabilities of plants is touching upon. Some issues are ontological, related to our unconscious psychological tendencies to talk about a reality subdivided in hypersimplifying ways and, on the other hand, to the rigorous metanalysis work of identifying, differentiating, and categorizing entities and processes. Others are epistemological, related to the ways and limits of knowing phenomena. Others regard the analyses of the perceptual sensitivity of plants based on a comparison with different systems of perception-action that offer qualitatively different experiences. Finally, there are issues concerning the presence or absence of semiotic processes in the plant world, related to the production, transmission, and “interpretation” (non-conceptual) of signs in these organisms’ living and interacting environments. The article raises queries and considerations as a starting point for research that requires further investigation. The purpose here is not to delve into a focal debate or question but to offer an overview of the main challenges and most significant horizons in this field. This attempt should therefore be understood as a working map for a future research agenda.