matt hall


I am based at the Centre for Middle Eastern Plants (CMEP), part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE). Since 2005 I have been working on biodiversity surveys and conservation projects across the Middle Eastern region. I also explore the human perceptions of, and behaviour towards plants, across religious, scientific, political and philosophical thought. The overriding aim of this research is to uncover more ethical ways of interacting with plants. As plants underpin all ecosystems, the treatment of plants as ethically irrelevant has important consequences for human actions in the natural world.


Selected Articles, Books & Book Chapters

  • Hall, M (2009). Plant Autonomy and Human-Plant Ethics. Environmental Ethics 16:  169-181.
  • Hall, M (2009). It’s a Jungle Out There. Product 16: 32-33.
  • Hall, M (2010). Escaping Eden –Plant Ethics in a Gardener’s World. In O’Brien, D (ed.). Gardening: Philosophy for Everyone. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford. pp. 38-47.
  • Hall, M (2011). Plants as Persons: A Philosophical Botany. SUNY Press, Albany, NY.
  • Hall, M (2011). Beyond the Human: Extending Ecological Anarchism. Environmental Politics. Forthcoming.