Scienza sradicata. Filosofia e antropologia alla prova dell’ampliamento della cognizione alle piante

In this paper we analyze the controversy within the field of plant cognition from
both philosophical and anthropological perspectives. We reconstruct the debate in botanical science and examine its interpretations as offered in analytic philosophy of mind. Our focus is on Gagliano’s work on plant cognition, which calls for a thorough reconsideration of how culture, science, and society are intertwined. She advocates for the integration of Western experimental paradigms with insights from Indigenous knowledge. In this context, the article advances an anthropological perspective that complements the approach of plant scientists and (especially analytic) philosophers, who often prioritize ontologies and conceptual abstractions over situated practices and their politics. In this respect – the article concludes – there is potential for dialogue between philosophical pragmatism and anthropology.