Understanding interdisciplinary perspectives of plant intelligence: Is it a matter of science, language, or subjectivity?

Abstract

Background Evidence suggests that plants can behave intelligently by exhibiting the ability to learn, make associations between environmental cues, engage in complex decisions about resource acquisition, memorize, and adapt in flexible ways. However, plant intelligence is a disputed concept in the scientific community. Reasons for lack of consensus can be traced back to the history of Western philosophy, interpretation of terminology, and due to plants lacking neurons and a central nervous system. Plant intelligence thus constitutes a novel paradigm in the plant sciences. Therefore, the perspectives of scientists in plant-related disciplines need to be investigated in order to gain insight into the current state and future development of this concept. Methods This study analyzed opinions of plant intelligence held by scientists from different plant-related disciplines, including ethnobiology and other biological sciences, through an online questionnaire. Results Our findings show that respondents’ personal belief systems and the frequency of taking into account other types of knowledge, such as traditional knowledge, in their own field(s) of study, were associated with their opinions of plant intelligence. Meanwhile, respondents’ professional expertise, background (discipline), or familiarity with evidence provided on plant intelligence did not affect their opinions. Conclusions This study emphasizes the influential role of scientists’ own subjective beliefs. In response, two approaches could facilitate transdisciplinary understanding among scientists: (1) effective communication designed to foster change in agreement based on presented information; and (2) holding space for an interdisciplinary dialogue where scientists can express their own subjectivities and open new opportunities for collaboration.

Investigaciones Multidisciplinarias Relacionadas Con Las Emociones en Las Ciencias Agrícolas Y Biológicas

“…Esta última definición considera que las emociones se observan por cambios específicos en el organismo tanto en el cuerpo como en la mente. Las emociones no solo han sido estudiadas en humanos sino también en animales, especialmente debido al aspecto de bienestar animal (Denis-Robichaud et al, 2023); en insectos (Klobučar y Fisher, 2023); ciencia y tecnología de alimentos (Aleman et al, 2023); e incluso se han explorado conceptos como la inteligencia de las plantas (Khattar et al, 2022).…”

De-Humanizing Cognition, Intelligence, and Agency. A Critical Assessment Between Philosophy, Ethics, and Science

“…Now I wish to delve into an additional reason that might explain why this is the case. Let's consider a pilot study (Khattar et al 2022) that, despite some limitations, tried to gauge the sentiment about plant cognition between academics in natural and social sciences. An important axis was the correlation to resorting to "Traditional Knowledge", i.e.…”