Plants & Philosophy

Caroline Deforche sees similarities between gardening and philosophising.

- Caroline Deforche

A few weeks ago I bought two chrysanthemums for my windowsill. After giving them the dose of water they clearly missed in the shop, I started musing on how closely plant care and philosophy are connected. The two, I realized, share more than meets the eye.

You care for plants, and enjoy the life that develops thanks to your care, but the process is never finished. It continues until the plant completes its life cycle and then starts all over again. Philosophy works in the same way: new ideas, insights and perspectives are constantly emerging from the care taken with existing ideas. So just as plants grow and bloom, philosophical thinking is an ongoing process of becoming which never really reaches an end point. But it is precisely this constant thinking that keeps us on our toes, stimulates our creativity, and challenges us to leave the beaten track. And just as a plant can choose a new direction of growth under the influence of light, sometimes a line of reasoning turns an idea completely upside down.