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G. T. Fechner (1848): Plants as sentient living beings

Giulia Parovel

Plant Signaling & Behavior February 18, 2026 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2026.2632571 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Topics Mysticism
Keywords Sentience Psychic Plant life Perspective graphical Cognition Epistemology Cognitive psychology Cognitive science
Key points Argues that Fechner's 1848 arguments for plant sentience were empirically grounded and that sentience is an intrinsic property of life, not merely a derivative of neural complexity.

Abstract

(1848) - has historically been relegated to the margins as mystical or unscientific. However, a contemporary re-examination reveals that Fechner's arguments were deeply rooted in empirical observation and inductive reasoning, anticipating current discourse on plant intelligence, learning, and communication. Regarding plant awareness, for instance, Fechner posits that their intimate physical immersion in earth, water, air, and light necessitates that every environmental fluctuation be accessible to their experience. For a sessile organism, survival demands total immersion in the present moment; thus, while the plant may lack the temporal cognitive representations (memory and anticipation) typical of animals, Fechner hypothesizes that its immediate sensorial experience may have reached a degree of intensity even exceeding that of human beings. Overall, Fechner's perspective offers plant biologists, psychologists, and neuroscientists an original framework to reconceptualize intelligence and perception, suggesting that sentience is an intrinsic property of life itself rather than a mere derivative of neural complexity.

Comparable studies

Other theoretical and historical papers on mysticism, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The mystical mind: probing the biology of religious experience 2000 Theoretical or philosophical paper
Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis 1983 Theoretical or philosophical paper
The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy 1993 Edited collection of essays
Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century 2020 Theoretical or philosophical paper
Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. 2016 Theoretical or philosophical paper

Citations in the library

Cites 5

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