Philosophy of Plants.
Nature, Intelligence, Behavior
Issue LXIII (2025) of the journal Itinerari is dedicated to the plant world. The pressing environmental issue has compelled a reevaluation of the human relationship with the environment, considering both its unified dimension and its components. While on one hand, this has led to questioning an approach overly centered on the human subject, on the other hand, it has progressively expanded the “circle” of those to whom some moral status is recognized, involving first anthropoid apes, then higher mammals, and subsequently various forms of life in their various articulations. Such expansion prompts ontological, epistemological, and ethical considerations. Going beyond a purely anthropocentric dimension, it raises issues of “limits,” urging a significant reflection on the organic in general and, perhaps for the first time in such a meaningful way, on the plant sphere.
The idea of "plant liberation," following the "animal liberation" advocated by Peter Singer in 1975, goes beyond mere provocation, becoming a philosophically important theme. This renewed attention compels us – similar to recent inquiries into humans and animals – to investigate the specificity of plants, in their relationship of identity and difference compared to the animal kingdom. This action had already been partially carried out and anticipated, to some extent, by early 20th-century philosophical anthropology and ethology. In particular, the tendency to recognize a form of subjectivity and autonomy in the plant sphere (Portmann, Plessner, Uexküll, Latour, Coccia) appears significant, inevitably taking different forms compared to those typically attributed to humans and animals.
Based on a substantial body of scientific work – renewing an approach that was once part of philosophical anthropology – it seems essential to engage in a more detailed reflection. On one hand, this exploration should delve into plant intelligence, a theme that has been conceptualized by various scholars (Calvo, Kohen, Mancuso, Gagliano), and thus the cognitive abilities of plants, increasingly supported by empirical data. On the other hand, it should focus on plant behavior, namely the dynamics guiding action, relationships, and cooperation at the core of intraspecific behavior.
Contributions that center their attention on the following aspects will be particularly appreciated:
- A historical investigation of plants in philosophical thought
- Plant intelligence
- Plant behavior
- The cooperative dimension
Proposals must be sent via email to the editorial board and editors (rivistaitinerari@gmail.com; oreste.tolone@unich.it) by 15 April, 2024, and should take the form of a concise presentation (within 3000 characters, including spaces) of the investigation. Accepted proposal notifications will be communicated by April 30, 2024.
Accepted contributions should adhere to the following criteria:
- They must be original;
- They should be written in Italian, French, Spanish, German, or English following the journal's guidelines;
- They should have a length ranging between 25,000 and 40,000 characters, including notes and spaces;
- Contributions must be submitted via email to the editor by November 30, 2024, accompanied by an abstract (between 250 and 500 characters) in English and five keywords in English. All contributions will undergo anonymous evaluation. The publication will incur no costs for the authors.