Are plants alive?

Whether plants are living beings seems like an easy question to answer: yes they are! And while this is not particularly contested, clearly stating what it is about plants that makes them alive – and whether there is one unifying feature to all living things – is far from trivial. 

Aristotle expressed this beautifully: ‘Life is found in animals and plants. But in animals it is patent and obvious, whereas in plants it is hidden and not clear. To establish its existence requires considerable research. The question at issue is whether plants have or have not a soul, and a capacity for desire, pain, pleasure, and discrimination.’