CFP: Applied Plant Ethics, ed. M. Di Paola (Springer 2022)

Call for Book Chapter Abstracts

Applied Plant Ethics, ed. M. Di Paola (Springer 2022)

Plant ethics is an emerging field of philosophical reflection that is gathering interest from many quarters and in relation to a variety of practical domains. Although most of its axiological and normative questions are still being negotiated, the urgency of many real-life issues that involve plants in various ways is compelling. These issues mobilize environmental ethics, bioethics, the ethics of technology, business ethics, the ethics of cultural heritage, food ethics, the ethics of the city, and political philosophy. They do so in many and diverse ways, which often cut across sub-disciplinary boundaries in practical philosophy as well as disciplinary boundaries beyond it, engaging the natural and social sciences as well as the humanities. 

Theoretical shakiness, ubiquitous real-life relevance and inter- and trans-disciplinarity make the practical philosophy of plants an extremely challenging field of investigation. “Applied Plant Ethics” is among the very first publications aimed at the articulation of such complexity and its navigation. It invites practical philosophers from all domains in which plants may be variously involved to zoom in on them and on the ways in which they are treated and related to in the context of specific human practices and societal challenges. Among these are:

·     Plants and Climate Change

·     Plants and Land-Use Change

·     Plants and Ecosystem Services

·     Plants and Ecosystem Management

·     Plants and Biodiversity Conservation

·     In-situ Plant Conservation

·     Ex-Situ Plant Conservation

·     Seed Banking

·     Seed Ownership

·     Plant Hybridizations and Enhancements

·     Invasive Plant Species

·     Plants and Cosmetics

·     Plants and Food Supplements

·     Plants and the Fashion Industry

·     Plants and Medical Drugs

·     Plants and Narcotics

·     The Plant Trade

·     The Illegal Plant Trade

·     Individual Plant Poaching

·     Forest Management

·     Deforestation

·     Afforestation

·     Re-Afforestation

·     Plants and the Food Industry

·     Plants and Industrial Agriculture

·     Plants and Non-Industrial Agriculture

·     Urban Agriculture

·     Soil-Free Agriculture

·     Precision Agriculture

·     Plant Biotech

·     Plants and Animal Ethics

·     Vegetarianism

·     Fructarianism

·     Luxury Plant Foods

·     Sacred Plant Species

·     Sacred Plant Specimens

·     Plants and Cities

·     Plants and Gardens

·     Plants and Public Spaces

·     Botanical Gardens

·     Plants and Mental Health

·     Plants and Education

·     Plants and Cultural Identities

·     Plants and Cultural Narratives

·     Plants and Landscapes

·     Plants and Cultural Landscapes

·     Plants and Landscape Architecture

·     Plant Materials

·     Plants and Energy

·     Plant-based Bio-Mimicry

·     Plant-based Geo-Engineering

·     Plants and Robots

·     Cyborg Plants

·     Plants and AI

·     Plants and Environmental Justice

·     Political Representation of Plants

·     Plants and Social Movements

·     Plants in International Law

·     Plants and International Relations

Prospective authors are invited to submit a 300-words chapter abstract on these and other plants-related issues in practical philosophy. Abstracts should be sent via email (object: “Abstract APE”) to [email protected] by October 31st 2020. Editor’s feedback will be provided by November 21st.

Deadline for first draft submissions will be October 31st 2021. Chapters will be peer-reviewed. Final drafts should be submitted by March 15th 2022. Chapters should be 8000 words long including notes and references.