Plant Minds by Chauncey Maher

Plant Minds by Chauncey Maher

The idea that plants have minds can sound improbable, but some widely respected contemporary scientists and philosophers find it plausible. It turns out to be rather tricky to vindicate the presumption that plants do not have minds, for doing so requires getting clear about what plants can do and what exactly a mind is.

By connecting the most compelling empirical work on plant behavior with philosophical reflection on the concept of minds, Plant Minds aims to help non-experts begin to think clearly about whether plants have minds. Relying on current consensus ideas about minds and plants, Chauncey Maher first presents the best case for thinking that plants do not have minds. Along the way, however, he unearths an idea at the root of that case, the idea that having a mind requires the capacity to represent the world. In the last chapter, he defends a relatively new and insightful theory of mind that rejects that assumption, making room for the possibility that plants do have minds, primarily because they are alive.

"Maher is an admirably clear and engaging writer..the chapters are just the right length, the text is beautifully illustrated, and the overviews of plant physiology and biochemistry are fascinating. In short: Plant Minds is a lovely and accessible text for the uninitiated." – Bob Fischer in Metapsychology

"Chauncey Maher's book provides a compact primer on the growing scientific appreciation for the range and sophistication of plant behavior … His enthusiasm for the marvels of plant physiology and the complexity of their responses to environmental stimuli is conveyed in a conversational tone." – Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

Chauncey Maher is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Dickinson College, USA. He is the author of The Pittsburgh School of Philosophy (Routledge, 2012).