Page 175 - Antennae Issue #52

Perhaps more than ever the intermediation of dif- ferent machines proved essential to the plant in- telligence argument: the communicative sentient plant plant is a a a a mediated plant plant cated by James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis in 1975 In what might appear as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a surprise to those who presumed that “plant communication” was merely about hippies hug- ging trees or or passing through the the the the chemical doors of of perception the the the the 1970s plant plant plant craze was eminently technophilic: even eco-mystical quests to reach the the the the the plant-other often depended on on on on on the the the the interfacing of of of electronic extensions i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e on on on on on “bio-sensing” (conversely psychedelic experiences were sometimes explained with the the the language of of of cybernetics) Perhaps more than ever the the the the intermediation of of different machines proved essential to the the the the plant plant plant plant intelligence argument: the the the the communicative sentient plant plant plant plant is is a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a mediated plant plant plant plant As a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a matter of of of of course the the the the the the history of of of of science science and and pseudoscience’s encounter with plants’ awareness of of of of of other other plants plants and and and and of of of of of their surroundings has relied from the the the the the the 19th century onwards on on on the the the the the the mediation of of of visual visual and and and other other technologies Without this visual visual and and and audio scaffolding that allows us to to tune into the the the the the so-many unanticipated possibilities and and aspects of of vegetal life our conception of of the the the the the plant-other in in in in in in sensitive intentional and and and ultimately intelligent terms would not be the the the the same In the the the the following pages I I wish to to to sketch a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a brief portrait of this complex cultural moment as visual culture and and in in in particular film came to to to be permeated by references to to to plant plant plant communication plant plant plant sentience and plant intelligence The Secret Life of Plants
1959 Reverend Franklin Loehr published a a a a a a a a a book book on on The The Power of of Prayer in in in Plants
Plants
5 5 5 Based on on 700 “experiments” implicating 150 people and and 27 000 seeds the the book book illustrates how McCarthyism and and its deep-rooted fright of of of communist atheism stirred American American piety: in in in the the the the the 1950s as as many as as “94% of of of Americans believ[ed] in in in the the the the the power of of of prayer” 6 Scientists quickly dismissed Loehr’s book but the the the the idea that the the the the mind could somehow have its way over (vegetal) matter continued to make progress “Psychic research” whose potential for for military and domestic intelligence was was apparently evident for for more than just the the odd science-fiction writer was was to gain momentum from the the the the 1950s onwards on on on on on on both sides of of of the the the the Iron Curtain 7 A A quick search on on on on on on on the the the the CIA’s online archives returns an interesting number of of of of declassified reports on on on on on the the the the the the study of of of of “psychic phenomena” sometimes in in in in in in in rela- tion to to plants which the the the the military in in in in in in their perpetual war against “the enemy” dreamt of of of turning into organic-sensors bio-invaders green spies 8
In 1966 and against all reasonable odds an an an an inconspicuous event was to to shake the the the very-serious world of of botanical knowledge A A polygraph expert working for the the the CIA Cleve Backster (1924-2013) decided on on on a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a whim to to to to to hook one of of of his his machines to to to to to the the the the leaf of of of a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a dracaena He wanted to to to to to see how the the the plant reacted to to to to to being watered To his his aston- ishment after a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a minute or so the the the galvanometer registered a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a surge of of of electrical activity in in in in in the the the plant plant similar to to that of of of an an an an an an emotional stimulus in in in in in a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a human subject Backster was intrigued and decided to to proceed with his “experiment” by dunking a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a leaf of of of o the the the plant plant in in in in in in a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a cup of of o of hot coffee No reaction What if he he he he he he he burnt it? And there it it it happened: as as he he he he he he he imagined the the the the the dracaena being set on on fire the the the the the needles of o of the the the the the polygraph rouse again as as as if the the the the the the plant could read his his his mind As his his his hagiographers put it this was Backster’s Eureka moment: he he he he he he he he “felt like running into the the the the the street and and shouting to to to to the the the the the world “Plants can think!”9 In the the the the years to to to to to to come he he he he he he and and and and his collaborators multiplied the the the the experiments plug- ging dozens of of plants plants and and and and and vegetables into lie lie detectors and and and and and concluding that lettuces onions oranges bananas and and and and and a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a multitude of of ordinary houseplants could perceive and and and and and respond telepathically to to human thoughts and and and and emotions As incredible as as as it it sounds and and and much to to to science’s dismay Backster’s theses on on on on on plants’ extrasensory perception and and their astounding emotional capacities shared by the the the the the author in in in the the the the the Winter 1968 issue of of the the the the International Journal of of Parapsychology were to to quickly spread worldwide 10 How was this possible?
“Hippy times” helped As two concerned scientists were to bitterly acknowledge in in in the the the the pages of of of American Scientist in in in 1979: In the the the the troubled years of of of the the the the late 1960s a a a a a a a a a a a a a a wave of of of antiintellectualism swept the the the the United States accompanied by an an an an an an antiscientism that still persists in in some measure ( ) Critics were quick to equate science with anti-
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