CAYGILL Howard. Phyto-philosophy : Thinking Plant Life in the Age of Human Mass Extinction

2019-2020 – Semestre 2
Mercredi 18-21h
Licence, Master
 
CAYGILL Howard
Phyto-philosophy : Thinking Plant Life in the Age of Human Mass Extinction
 
In 2013 the neuro-botanist Stefano Mancuso called for a ‘Copernican Revolution’ of the plants or the re-orientation of vital thought from animal and human to plant life. The course will examine the philosophical scrutiny of plant life from Aristotle and Theophrastus to Darwin before moving on to recent work in philosophical botany and the bio-politics of plant life. It will consider recent arguments for plant sensibility, consciousness and intelligence as well as the ethics and politics of ‘majority’ or plant life. It will conclude with an analysis of the alignment of plant life with AI and robotics and the thinking of plant life after the human mass extinction.
 
Indications bibliographiques :
 
  • Stefano Mancuso, Brilliant Green : Sensibility and Intelligence in the Vegetal World
  • Stefano Mancuso, The Revolutionary Genius of Plants : A New Understanding of Plant Intelligence and Behaviour
  • Michael Marder, Plant Thinking : A Philosophy of Vegetal Life
  • Jeffrey T. Nealon, Plant Theory : Biopower & Vegetal Life
  • Michael Pollan, The Botany of Desire