What does intelligence mean when we cease to regard it as an exclusively human trait? Can plants perceive, adapt and respond to their environment in ways that expand our understanding of life and cognition?
Renowed cognitive scientist, philosopher of biology and author of Planta Sapiens, Paco Calvo, is coming to Athens for a public lecture on plant intelligence and emerging approaches to the relationship between humans, technology and living systems.
The event will take place on Thursday, 18 June 2026, at 19:00, at the National Museum of Natural History Goulandris. It is organised in the context of the 3rd The Lyceum Project, which will be held on 19–20 June at the Athens Conservatoire under the theme: Entangled Intelligence: Animate. Ancestral. Artificial.
The National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, the World Human Forum and the National Museum of Natural History Goulandris invite the public to an engaging encounter with a pioneering thinker whose work explores forms of intelligence beyond traditional human- and brain-centred perspectives.
The event will be introduced by Alexandra Mitsotaki, President and Co-founder of the World Human Forum.
About Paco Calvo
Paco Calvo is Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Murcia, Spain, and director of the Minimal Intelligence Lab (MINT Lab). His research explores the foundations of cognition, with a particular focus on plant intelligence, minimal cognition, ecological psychology, and embodied approaches to mind.
He has published widely on plant behaviour, cognition without brains, and the philosophical implications of studying intelligence beyond the animal kingdom. His work combines philosophy, cognitive science, plant physiology, and comparative psychology to challenge neurocentric assumptions about mind and agency.
He is the author, with Natalie Lawrence, of Planta Sapiens (W. W. Norton), a public-facing book on the emerging science of plant intelligence.
Calvo is also actively involved in interdisciplinary research on plant-inspired robotics, ecological adaptation, and new models of agency across living systems. His work has been featured in international media and public lectures, bringing debates about plant cognition to both academic and wider audiences.
Event Information
Thursday, 18 June 2026 | 19:00
National Museum of Natural History Goulandris
“Angelos Goulandris” Auditorium
100 Othonos Street, Kifissia
The lecture will be delivered in English.
Free admission – seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
