Reframing Botanical Blindness and Imperception Through Evolutionary Lenses
Abstract In this opinion article, we question the tendency to treat human interactions with plants as a cognitive deficit through terms such as botanical blindness, botanical imperception, or plant awareness disparity (PAD). Rather than denying the existence of the phenomenon these terms attempt to...
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Sociedade Botânica do Brasil
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Acta Botânica Brasílica |
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-33062025000100600&lng=en&tlng=en |
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| author | Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque Aníbal Silva Cantalice Edwine Soares Oliveira Francisco Igor Ribeiro Santos Hermeson Carlos Santos Ingrid da Silva Lima João Victor Mendes Silva Letícia Elias Marcela Maria Albuquerque-Silva Maria Vittória Alves de Santana Paula Thayanne Mata Rayane Karoline Silva dos Santos Valdir de Moura Brito Júnior Yasmim Antonino Costa Santos |
| author_facet | Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque Aníbal Silva Cantalice Edwine Soares Oliveira Francisco Igor Ribeiro Santos Hermeson Carlos Santos Ingrid da Silva Lima João Victor Mendes Silva Letícia Elias Marcela Maria Albuquerque-Silva Maria Vittória Alves de Santana Paula Thayanne Mata Rayane Karoline Silva dos Santos Valdir de Moura Brito Júnior Yasmim Antonino Costa Santos |
| author_sort | Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In this opinion article, we question the tendency to treat human interactions with plants as a cognitive deficit through terms such as botanical blindness, botanical imperception, or plant awareness disparity (PAD). Rather than denying the existence of the phenomenon these terms attempt to describe, we argue that it should be interpreted as part of a broader and naturally evolved process of differential attention. We contend that naming this perceptual tendency as a distinct and pathological entity disregards the evolutionary basis of human cognition and perception. Cultural and contextual factors modulate interaction with plants, and less attention is paid to them in modern environments, reflecting sociocultural influences rather than cognitive flaws. We advocate for educational approaches that embrace human perceptual plasticity, promoting reconnection with plant diversity without invoking notions of dysfunction. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bb22ee45ffbc461d8198be734b2feeb8 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1677-941X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Sociedade Botânica do Brasil |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Botânica Brasílica |
| spelling | doaj-art-bb22ee45ffbc461d8198be734b2feeb82025-08-20T03:17:44ZengSociedade Botânica do BrasilActa Botânica Brasílica1677-941X2025-07-013910.1590/1677-941x-abb-2024-0236Reframing Botanical Blindness and Imperception Through Evolutionary LensesUlysses Paulino Albuquerquehttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8131-8429Aníbal Silva Cantalicehttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0205-5219Edwine Soares Oliveirahttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2282-8522Francisco Igor Ribeiro Santoshttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6817-3467Hermeson Carlos Santoshttps://orcid.org/0009-0001-3685-7562Ingrid da Silva Limahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6067-5371João Victor Mendes Silvahttps://orcid.org/0009-0005-9380-9785Letícia Eliashttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5887-0127Marcela Maria Albuquerque-Silvahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4056-5458Maria Vittória Alves de Santanahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1346-5101Paula Thayanne Matahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8764-3695Rayane Karoline Silva dos Santoshttps://orcid.org/0009-0004-8913-4810Valdir de Moura Brito Júniorhttps://orcid.org/0009-0004-1530-4493Yasmim Antonino Costa Santoshttps://orcid.org/0009-0000-0700-1098Abstract In this opinion article, we question the tendency to treat human interactions with plants as a cognitive deficit through terms such as botanical blindness, botanical imperception, or plant awareness disparity (PAD). Rather than denying the existence of the phenomenon these terms attempt to describe, we argue that it should be interpreted as part of a broader and naturally evolved process of differential attention. We contend that naming this perceptual tendency as a distinct and pathological entity disregards the evolutionary basis of human cognition and perception. Cultural and contextual factors modulate interaction with plants, and less attention is paid to them in modern environments, reflecting sociocultural influences rather than cognitive flaws. We advocate for educational approaches that embrace human perceptual plasticity, promoting reconnection with plant diversity without invoking notions of dysfunction.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-33062025000100600&lng=en&tlng=enAnimacycognitive biasdifferential attentionplant awareness disparityethnobiologyethnobotanynaturalistic mind |
| spellingShingle | Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque Aníbal Silva Cantalice Edwine Soares Oliveira Francisco Igor Ribeiro Santos Hermeson Carlos Santos Ingrid da Silva Lima João Victor Mendes Silva Letícia Elias Marcela Maria Albuquerque-Silva Maria Vittória Alves de Santana Paula Thayanne Mata Rayane Karoline Silva dos Santos Valdir de Moura Brito Júnior Yasmim Antonino Costa Santos Reframing Botanical Blindness and Imperception Through Evolutionary Lenses Acta Botânica Brasílica Animacy cognitive bias differential attention plant awareness disparity ethnobiology ethnobotany naturalistic mind |
| title | Reframing Botanical Blindness and Imperception Through Evolutionary Lenses |
| title_full | Reframing Botanical Blindness and Imperception Through Evolutionary Lenses |
| title_fullStr | Reframing Botanical Blindness and Imperception Through Evolutionary Lenses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reframing Botanical Blindness and Imperception Through Evolutionary Lenses |
| title_short | Reframing Botanical Blindness and Imperception Through Evolutionary Lenses |
| title_sort | reframing botanical blindness and imperception through evolutionary lenses |
| topic | Animacy cognitive bias differential attention plant awareness disparity ethnobiology ethnobotany naturalistic mind |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-33062025000100600&lng=en&tlng=en |
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