Bioneers 2025 Conference

The Vegetal Mind: From Plant Neurobiology to Panpsychism?

Co-sponsored by Harvard's Thinking with Plants and Fungi Initiative

Cutting edge research is radically expanding our understanding of plants’ and fungi’s capacities to perceive their environments and make complex decisions in response. The groundbreaking cross-disciplinary Thinking with Plants and Fungi Initiative at Harvard was recently founded to draw from biology, ecology and the humanities to explore how inquiry into plant and fungal life could illuminate the nature of mind and matter and humans’ relationships to the more-than-human world. This session will delve into some of the most recent scientific findings on plant cognition and their implications for our own species as well as venture into more philosophical terrain, exploring such topics as the nature of intelligence and traditions that speculate about whether consciousness in some latent form might permeate the universe (i.e., “Panpsychism”). Hosted by Rachael Petersen, program lead for the Thinking with Plants and Fungi Initiative. Panelists TBA.

March 29th | 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm

Panelists


Rachael Petersen
Program Lead
Harvard's Thinking with Plants and Fungi Initiative