Extending cognition: a vegetal rejoinder to extensionless thought and to extended cognition

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we propose a crucial supplement to the framework of plant cognition, namely extending cognition. We argue that plants and other organisms with an open-ended body plan actively extend their cognition when growing tissues or organs. Their cognition expands with their body expansion. After considering the defining features of extending cognition, we present a model where growth, along with aspects of plant physiology (e.g. biochemical exudates), as well as the “negative extension” of growing away from obstacles or stressful environments, are the building blocks for a more refined understanding of plant cognition. We conclude by outlining the general implications of the theory of extending cognition and indicating directions for future research.

KEYWORDS:

• Extended mind
• phenotypic plasticity
• plant behavior
• plant cognition
• intentionality
• phenomenology

Acknowledgments

We thank the anonymous reviewers whose comments on this manuscript helped to increase the clarity of the concepts and ideas presented.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. From now on, the word “extending” with the end in italics refers to the concept of cognition that depends on growth to arise. “Extending” without italics have the usual meaning of the verb.

2. Volatile organic compounds are gaseous chemicals released by plants both constitutively and after receiving a stimulus. Their chemical composition varies, and they are involved in several ecological relations like fruit ripening, communication, and resistance to herbivores and pathogens.⁶⁰

3. To a certain degree, this is the case even for organisms with definite growth patterns like many animals. Learning and thinking involves the growth and rearrangements of neurons and synapses. On a microscopic scale, the brain “extends” and occupies new spaces, albeit limited by the cranial vault.