Tuesday 9 December 2025 | 20:00 - 22:00 hrs| Latijnse School, Nijmegen | Radboud Reflects and Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies
Read Planta Sapiens by philosopher Paco Calvo and join philosopher Cees Leijenhorst and moderator Noortje Schonck in a discussion about whether plants are intelligent beings.
What is it like to be a plant?
Can plants exhibit intelligent behavior, even though they don't have brains? Can plants feel pain? And do they perhaps even have a form of consciousness? In his book Planta Sapiens, Italian philosopher Paco Calvo investigated how plant cells can send and receive electrical signals. Read the book and join philosophers Cees Leijenhorst and Noortje Schonck in a discussion about how this could radically change our view of plants.
This programme is in Dutch. Please visit the Dutch page.
Plant intelligence
Plants have no brains, no neurons, but according to philosopher Paco Calvo, plants are indeed intelligent. Instead of seeing them as passive organisms, he argues that plants are surprisingly good at learning, assessing risks, planning ahead, and recognizing family members. In his book, Calvo breaks with the idea that intelligence can only be found in animals or humans. So what is intelligence, really? What forms of intelligence do plants exhibit? And how does this change our idea of being vegetarian or vegan?
What plants teach us about ourselves
During the book club, we will discuss whether plants are intelligent beings and what this means for our interaction with plants. In preparation, you will read the book Planta Sapiens, which will serve as inspiration for the discussion. Philosopher Cees Leijenhorst will give a short introduction and Noortje Schonck will lead the discussion.