Do Plants Feel Pain?

[sparkle10184]

Oh yes, this debate. For many years people have tumbled over morals and ethics, whether it's right or wrong to eat animals, are dogs more important than pigs, and of course this one. Do plants feel pain.

 

I'm very interested in hearing other people's opinions, and I just love a good debate ;u;

[octopi]

Well they don't have central nervous systems? So no??

 

I mean I guess I understand that some people might be reluctant to eat plants or kill them or whatever because it's immoral to hurt living things, but they don't feel pain. We've proved that. It's non-negotiable.

[sparkle10184]

I agree. Plants may react, but they do not actually feel. They are living things, but they do not have a brain or nervous system.

[KoalaNoob]

Personally, I think it's fine that we eat them. Many plants were grown for that very purpose, and they don't feel pain. However, I hate how people use this excuse to pick flowers and throw them away and rip branches off of trees.

[Momo]

I'm not sure if "plants feeling pain" is actually a discussion than a question about a scientific fact. I think that's like asking if we're effected by gravity or not. .. you know.

I think you should probably just ask how people feel about eating plants and other botanic life rather than asking if "plants feel pain." :3

 

But more onto that, I do think its fine to do so. Plant life does react to things very well, such as sunlight ( they actually "lean" towards the direction of the sun ) and smoke when a fire has started in a forest. However, it's pretty well integrated into the building blocks of nature itself that it is devoured by many, many species.

Plantlife, in its natural setting, regulates itself very well despite being devoured so for me, as long as it is natural and necessary and coping well with the take, then I'm fine with it. If a type of thing I ate was going scarce I wouldn't eat it.

[PollyCockatrice]

Seeing as they have no way to try to get away from things that want to eat them, it sure would suck for them if they could feel pain!

[KoalaNoob]

It's kinda funny, there are lots of vegetarians, but no meatatarians.

[SpikeTheDragon]

I have to agree with that about plants. That's why I don't cut any fresh Christmas tress. Its not nice to chop down trees either. We need trees for shade.

Edited November 15, 2013 by SpikeTheDragon

[Cecona]

Certain plants actually need to be eaten in order to make more of that plant.

[Syaoransbear]

It seems like plants don't feel pain and if they don't feel pain and you can eat them without killing them it's probably moral to do so. Check out jain vegetarianism. They only eat plants that don't die when they consume them, like fruit off of trees. No root plants, such as onions or potatoes which have to kill the entire plant to be eaten. I'd love to practice that sort of diet but I imagine it would be pretty difficult.

[Oasis]

It's kinda funny, there are lots of vegetarians, but no meatatarians.

Either way you end up eating plants, anyway. You eat cows that eat grass, and you eat chickens who eat corn. There's no way to avoid eating plants, they're an essential part of the food chain, although it isnt nessesary to kill them just because they're in the way. Forests need to stay, or else were just not gonna have oxygen and stuff, that'd be bad...

 

Also, that'd be carnivores

Edited November 15, 2013 by Oasis

[zorua9]

plants don't feel pain, but they are defently alive, if you have seen a documentary of africa or the rain forset you will know plants can be vicious to each other

[Pokemonfan13]

To me it depends a lot on what you define as "pain". They can probably tell in some respect when they are cut.

 

But really, the "debate" about it being right or wrong to eat them is just silly. If we can't eat anything that has ever been alive we'd starve. At least until we can synthesize all the nutrients we need in the laboratory in a cheap and reliable and palatable way.

[senyi]

I think plants don't feel pain.

 

However, I imagine plants screaming whenever I step on them, so in my imagination, yes?

 

Edited for a poor choice of words~

Edited November 15, 2013 by XiaoChibi

[Shienvien]

Plants do react to damage with stress-chemicals, changes in their growth and metabolism and so forth. Some plants will become poisonous upon consumption, but be harmless otherwise. Furthermore, plants react to other plants being stressed.

 

So, in a sense, plants do feel pain. They, however, are likely not consciously aware of the fact that they are in pain because of the aforementioned lack of central nervous system.

Edited November 15, 2013 by Shienvien

[Syaoransbear]

I think plants don't feel pain.

 

However, I imagine plants screaming whenever I step on them, so in my imagination, yes?

 

Edited for a poor choice of words~

I think of them screaming whenever I see someone mowing the lawn. I actually don't think I could have a lawn for that reason, they seem so cruel.

[Shienvien]

I think of them screaming whenever I see someone mowing the lawn. I actually don't think I could have a lawn for that reason, they seem so cruel.

The chemical consistency of the entire lawn changes practically on the moment the first blades of grass fall to the blade of the lawnmower. (Yep, all of the grass is collectively stressed before any harm comes to the individual plants.) That which humans tend to label the "smell of fresh(ly cut) grass" is actually said grass emanating plant stress-hormones.

 

(I also saw an article someone of plants which actually do emit extremely high-pitched sound when harmed, but I don't recall the location and am not too sure in its validity.)

[igloo9201]

Certain plants actually need to be eaten in order to make more of that plant.

Haha, screw shade, what about oxygen?

 

But I don't like cutting down trees either. K don't think mowing the lawn is too bad, but the screaming thing is funny. Last Christmas, my parents put a chocolate penguin in my stocking. I ate it head-first, and every time I took a bite, my dad would scream.

[Fortune86]

'Talking' plants

 

I don't think plants feel pain as such, but react to being damaged all the same.

[georgexu94]

Ah... Let's see plants don't have skin or sense of touch so I don't think they feel pain. Some people may say it is not right to kill living things, but if we're not to eat plants, then what? We can't eat nonliving things like metal or rocks. Anyway, vegetarians are not eating meat. One big reason is that they value life and see it wrong to kill animals. They eat plants though so I see nothing wrong with that. On the other hand, it is possible for a plant to still grow if you cut a part of it, right? It just grows fine.

[Shienvien]

Let's see plants don't have skin or sense of touch so I don't think they feel pain.

Plants do detect touch. The presence of "skin" is irrelevant - as long as something has the sensors, it can detect the feeling.

 

(Being consciously aware of said feeling is another matter.)

[Gsea]

Hmm, interesting topic.

 

No, I'm pretty certain plants don't feel pain. I know they can react to touch, or at least some can (like those cute ones that fold their little leaves up when you touch them) but pain is a signal that travels from the place of injury to the central nervous system, causing a reflex that makes you pull away from whatever's hurting you just before your brain even processes the pain.

 

Pain requires nerve endings, which plants are devoid of, so no?

[Destiny Arts]

I agree. Plants may react, but they do not actually feel. They are living things, but they do not have a brain or nervous system.

I agree.

[georgexu94]

'Talking' plants

 

I don't think plants feel pain as such, but react to being damaged all the same.

The article confuses me. Why would plants want to communicate with other plants like trees when "in pain" if that won't help them in any way? Well, excpet for the more mobile plants.

[Shienvien]

Pain requires nerve endings, which plants are devoid of, so no?

Plants do have multitude of different receptors.