Event
SG - Verdant Minds?
We readily speak of intelligent animals, but calling plants "intelligent" remains controversial.
Within the scientific community, opinions are divided: some researchers advocate for a radical rethinking of plant behaviour, even proposing a new field of plant neurobiology, while others urge caution. They warn against projecting animal concepts like memory, choice, or intelligence onto plants. In their view, the very concept of intelligence may obscure rather than illuminate the nature of plant life.
This evening’s talk traces the origins of the debate on plant intelligence, beginning with Charles Darwin and his son Francis, who daringly suggested that plants might exhibit a form of intelligence. From there, the discussion turns to contemporary debates in the growing literature on plant signalling, learning, and adaptation.
About lecture series Intelligence? Plants, Planets, Computers
Until relatively recently intelligence was seen as something uniquely human, the one defining trait that set us apart from the rest of nature. But already Charles Darwin (The Descent of Man (1871)) seriously considered that other creatures might be intelligent too. Nowadays this idea has sparked a ripple effect. There’s growing research on sentient plants, clever fungi, cunning bacteria etc. Some researchers even ask whether ecosystems or entire planets might be considered intelligent. And now, with the rise of artificial intelligence, we no longer hesitate to call machines intelligent.
In this series we question the use of the word intelligence by looking at its strengths and limitations across different fields. Maybe intelligence is simply a measure of adaptability: a capacity to survive and respond across a wide range of environments? Or is this too broad and do we need a more strict definition?
About Norbert Peeters
Norbert Peeters is a lecturer at the Philosophy Group of Wageningen University. His research focuses on botanical philosophy, history of invasion ecology, environmental philosophy, and garden and landscape philosophy. He is currently completing his PhD on the 18th and 19th century origins of invasion ecology, with a particular emphasis on plants, and is also conducting research on the cultural and conceptual history of weeds and plant blindness. Alongside his research, he is committed to teaching philosophy to students in the natural sciences, especially in the fields of plant and environmental science.
As a writer, Norbert debuted in 2016 with Botanische revolutie: de plantenleer van Charles Darwin (KNNV Uitgeverij, Zeist), which explores the botanical insights of Charles Darwin. This was followed by Rumphius’ Kruidboek: verhalen uit de Ambonese flora (2020, KNNV Uitgeverij, Zeist), centered on a seventeenth-century herbal from Ambon in the Moluccas, and Wildernis-vernis: Een filosoof in het Vondelpark (2021), a reflection on wilderness and garden philosophy. He also co-edited Darwins engelen: Vrouwelijke geleerden in de tijd van Charles Darwin (2018, Atlas Contact, Amsterdam), and the facsimile edition Flora Batava: de wilde planten van Nederland (2023, Uitgeverij Lannoo, Tielt).
Norbert regularly appears in media, including radio, podcasts and television, and is a public speaker on topics related to philosophy, botany and ecology.