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Bottom of the pile
9
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
3/100Critics
15/100Scholars
Author:
Paco Calvo, Natalie Lawrence
Publisher:
W. W. Norton & Company
Date:
March 14, 2023
A window into the inner world of plants, and the cutting-edge science in plant intelligence.
What The Reviewers Say
There is little evidence that plants have a centralized area in which to digest information and make decisions based on multiple inputs and outputs, and the book does not persuasively suggest how consciousness could arise without it. Planta Sapiens, however, contains a fascinating description of how plants interact with the environment in myriad ways..
Remarkable.
To his credit, Calvo — while freely admitting he was not trained as a plant scientist — cites articles by plant experts critical of his perspective. At the same time, though, he conveys a sense that naysayers are just not sufficiently open-minded to accept plant experience for what it is.
Proving that these behaviours are evidence of cognition, rather than being automatic reflex responses, albeit impressive ones, is a tough hurdle to clear and Calvo doesn’t quite make it over.
