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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
More like a 3.5
The subject (plant cognition?) is extremely interesting and the author did mention, e.g., the idea of "umwelt" (a notion I learned from "an immense world", my favorite book from last year), and "my octopus teacher"(a documentary I love as well), so I'm thinking we have a lot in common regarding scientific interests. However, the writing is murky to the best. I don't know the target audience -- if it's for colleagues in science, it lacks convincing experiments and clear arguments; if it's for the general public, it just lacks flavor...
I consider myself open-minded and I have no problem accepting that plants or bacteria or whatever are sentient -- but not through some half-hearted and circular arguments and quotation of Darwin here and there.
If the author is arguing for more open-mindedness regarding plant intelligence/sentience, 1) this is already a position I hold and I don't need a book to tell me so; 2) This book probably also fails to do a good job for people who are still doubtful.
The subject (plant cognition?) is extremely interesting and the author did mention, e.g., the idea of "umwelt" (a notion I learned from "an immense world", my favorite book from last year), and "my octopus teacher"(a documentary I love as well), so I'm thinking we have a lot in common regarding scientific interests. However, the writing is murky to the best. I don't know the target audience -- if it's for colleagues in science, it lacks convincing experiments and clear arguments; if it's for the general public, it just lacks flavor...
I consider myself open-minded and I have no problem accepting that plants or bacteria or whatever are sentient -- but not through some half-hearted and circular arguments and quotation of Darwin here and there.
If the author is arguing for more open-mindedness regarding plant intelligence/sentience, 1) this is already a position I hold and I don't need a book to tell me so; 2) This book probably also fails to do a good job for people who are still doubtful.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I wish this was longer!!! Give me the DETAILS, Calvo >:( (But seriously: I think interested readers may get more out of this book if they are also reading other work on plant behavior/relationships — add this to your reading list *along with* Robin Wall Kimmerer, Suzanne Simard, Bernd Heinrich, Fred Pearce &c)
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
It was a really interesting read, I enjoyed the breadth of scientific knowledge listed throughout. However, towards the end it lost my focus being heavily influenced by philosophy and questions surrounding sentience and ethical implications of using plants.
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Unfortunately, this is that most irritating of pop science books. It is vapid and thin on content.
Going into Planta Sapiens, Paco Calvo encourages readers to set aside their doubts. "What you read here will be a challenge to anyone's preconceptions. So try to let them go, begin with an open mind and follow the path the evidence is building for us", he says. I thought to myself that this would be no problem. I am not a skeptic or resistant to the ideas the book promises to present. I sought it out, and I know little about them going in. My mind is open, bring on that evidence baby!
How disappointed I was by the absolutely meagre "evidence" presented. By page count, the greatest volume Planta Sapiens is anecdotes and asides that in a better book would used occasionally to illustrate or explain some point, but there is so little to explain. It's all filler.
Ironically, I came away from the book feeling that Calvo had done a better job explaining the positions of his critics, because they are laid out briefly and straightforwardly. As for Calvo's own arguments, the material in Planta Sapiens could essentially be condensed down into an (admittedly lengthy) introduction to a better book. He is not particularly interested in describing in detail how plants grow, respond to stimuli, and interact with their environment. The book gives many examples of these, but then simply moves on. It always felt as though there were something missing. Early on, I just thought that more complex, detailed information would be presented in later chapters, that Calvo was easing the skeptics in gently, but at some point it became clear that this was the entire book.
The final chapter does offer slightly more interesting fodder. It stood out to me for presenting more challenging thoughts about what plant consciousness implies for humans. Why it is important to consider and explore the idea of plant consciousness at all, and how we should let these ideas change our actions and our outlook. Unfortunately, it was too little and came too late. That's even when we set aside that, having given so unconvincing an argument for plant consciousness over the preceding pages, Calvo is begging the question by now telling us how it should change our outlook.
If this book were condensed to the length of a magazine article, it would be a worthwhile read. A glimpse into a subject and topic that is both fascinating and likely novel to most readers. But that's all this is, a glimpse. It isn't worth 200 pages just for that.
Going into Planta Sapiens, Paco Calvo encourages readers to set aside their doubts. "What you read here will be a challenge to anyone's preconceptions. So try to let them go, begin with an open mind and follow the path the evidence is building for us", he says. I thought to myself that this would be no problem. I am not a skeptic or resistant to the ideas the book promises to present. I sought it out, and I know little about them going in. My mind is open, bring on that evidence baby!
How disappointed I was by the absolutely meagre "evidence" presented. By page count, the greatest volume Planta Sapiens is anecdotes and asides that in a better book would used occasionally to illustrate or explain some point, but there is so little to explain. It's all filler.
Ironically, I came away from the book feeling that Calvo had done a better job explaining the positions of his critics, because they are laid out briefly and straightforwardly. As for Calvo's own arguments, the material in Planta Sapiens could essentially be condensed down into an (admittedly lengthy) introduction to a better book. He is not particularly interested in describing in detail how plants grow, respond to stimuli, and interact with their environment. The book gives many examples of these, but then simply moves on. It always felt as though there were something missing. Early on, I just thought that more complex, detailed information would be presented in later chapters, that Calvo was easing the skeptics in gently, but at some point it became clear that this was the entire book.
The final chapter does offer slightly more interesting fodder. It stood out to me for presenting more challenging thoughts about what plant consciousness implies for humans. Why it is important to consider and explore the idea of plant consciousness at all, and how we should let these ideas change our actions and our outlook. Unfortunately, it was too little and came too late. That's even when we set aside that, having given so unconvincing an argument for plant consciousness over the preceding pages, Calvo is begging the question by now telling us how it should change our outlook.
If this book were condensed to the length of a magazine article, it would be a worthwhile read. A glimpse into a subject and topic that is both fascinating and likely novel to most readers. But that's all this is, a glimpse. It isn't worth 200 pages just for that.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
informative
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced