Plant sentience revisited: Sifting through the thicket of perspectives
Paco Calvo, Miguel Segundo-Ortin
Animal Sentience August 3, 2026 DOI: 10.51291/2377-7478.1830 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Evolution Cognitive neuroscience Plant sciences |
| Key points | Argues that plant sentience is a credible hypothesis that deserves serious investigation, that double standards have disadvantaged plant studies relative to animal studies, and that clearer terminology and conceptual framing are needed. The authors also contend that neurophysiological evidence bears on the question and that recognizing plant sentience would carry ethical implications. |
Abstract
In our target article (Segundo-Ortin & Calvo 2023), we proposed the intriguing possibility of plant sentience, drawing parallels with non-human animal studies. This response aims to sift through the rich thicket of perspectives offered by our commentators. To do so, we assess the risks of employing double standards, as well as the tendencies of anthropomorphizing and zoomorphizing in plant studies. We also emphasize the need for clarity in linguistic and conceptual terms, examine the neurophysiological evidence for plant sentience, and discuss the ethical implications of such recognition.
Citations in the library
Cited by 1
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and 12 more in the library