Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Neuroscience and Neurobiology
Do Plants Have The Cognitive Complexity For Sentience?, Ricard V. Solé
Do Plants Have The Cognitive Complexity For Sentience?, Ricard V. Solé
Animal Sentience
Are plants sentient? Like other aspects of the cognitive potential of plants, this is a controversial issue, often driven by analogies and seldom supported on solid theoretical grounds. Sentience is understood in cognitive sciences as the capacity to feel. I suggest that because of plants’ evolved adaptations to morphological plasticity, sessile nature and ecological constraints, they are unlikely to have the requisite cognitive complexity for sentience.