The Philosophy Of Plant Cognition: A Naturalistic and Comparative Approach

Abstract

This chapter challenges the widespread exclusion of plants from comparative cognitive science by critically examining three dominant arguments against plant cognition: that plant behavior is merely reflexive, that cognition requires internal representations, and that cognitive processes necessitate a brain or central nervous system. Drawing on recent empirical research, I contend that the assumptions underlying these arguments are overly restrictive and rooted in anthropocentric and neurocentric biases rather than in sound scientific reasoning. By reframing cognition as a set of functional, multiply realizable processes rather than traits tied to specific anatomical structures or representational mechanisms, we can better recognize the diversity of cognitive architectures across biological systems. Incorporating plants into cognitive science expands the field’s explanatory scope and invites a reevaluation of long-standing theoretical commitments.