Do Plants Feel Pain?

[Shienvien]

Mostly because they don't have the capacity for something like that, and also because a huge negative feeling like that would be entirely useless since the whole point of pain is to get to to get away from something, or to stop doing something.

Some plants become poisonous (within a couple of minutes!) or emit chemicals that call forth the natural predator of the creature chewing on them. Plants ain't as defenceless as they may seem.

[edwardelricfreak]

Some plants become poisonous (within a couple of minutes!) or emit chemicals that call forth the natural predator of the creature chewing on them. Plants ain't as defenceless as they may seem.

That's a reaction to them "realizing" they're being damaged, which they can do. Pain ≠ register damage. Pain is something you need a nervous system for. It's meant to help us get away from or otherwise stop whatever we were doing that was causing pain. Pain is our main way of telling that we're being damaged in some way. Plants have a different way of doing that, and the way they protect themselves, instead of getting away, is to emit a foul odor, chemicals, etc.

[Summa]

No, I don't think so.

[renlacarne]

my zoology teacher put it best

yes if you go by pain as being a stimulus reaction since plants can sense stimulus and all pain is is a neurostimulus that transfers to the brain plants do not have a brain but they have their own sort of central nervous system just not the same as a mammal

so technically yes they can perceive stimulus and feel 'pain' but it is not the same pain as ours so to speak

[Rachel72]

my zoology teacher put it best

yes if you go by pain as being a stimulus reaction since plants can sense stimulus and all pain is is a neurostimulus that transfers to the brain plants do not have a brain but they have their own sort of central nervous system just not the same as a mammal

so technically yes they can perceive stimulus and feel 'pain' but it is not the same pain as ours so to speak

I agree....if you talk positively they will grow. If you talk negatively to them, they react by "drooping".

[kitsune93]

No, at least not the same way animals do.

They probably have some kind of equivalent though.

[Rachel72]

If a plant is completely ignored it does wither up and possibly die. If the plant is well cared for, it thrives!!!

[Brotato]

To the best of my knowledge, plants can detect when a part of them is or has been injured, but not the way we do. It's not actual physical pain.

[Matmetchi]

my zoology teacher put it best

yes if you go by pain as being a stimulus reaction since plants can sense stimulus and all pain is is a neurostimulus that transfers to the brain plants do not have a brain but they have their own sort of central nervous system just not the same as a mammal

so technically yes they can perceive stimulus and feel 'pain' but it is not the same pain as ours so to speak

i believe this to be true! plants don't experience pain like humans.

here is an interesting article to read about, even if you only read the title. "plants can hear themselves being eaten" kinda morbid, don't you think?

[DragonKami]

Well, technically they don't, because even if they do they have no way of expressing it that we can perceive. So in quantum physics wise since you don't know, it automatically reverts back to what you can see, which is that they don't feel pain.

 

However! This points to the conclusions that they do indeed feel pain, because why would grass have a distress signal if they do not feel pain?

 

In my opinion, I'd like to believe that they don't because it's kinda sad if they do, but they might actually feel pain.

[edwardelricfreak]

Well, technically they don't, because even if they do they have no way of expressing it that we can perceive. So in quantum physics wise since you don't know, it automatically reverts back to what you can see, which is that they don't feel pain.

 

However! This points to the conclusions that they do indeed feel pain, because why would grass have a distress signal if they do not feel pain?

 

In my opinion, I'd like to believe that they don't because it's kinda sad if they do, but they might actually feel pain.

They respond to stimuli but don't actually feel "pain". Things hurt and cause pain because that's our way of registering something as dangerous that we need to get away from. Plants, for the most part, can't exactly get away now can they?

[Shienvien]

Plants, for the most part, can't exactly get away now can they?

Plenty of plants can send chemical signals for wasps to lay eggs in the pesky caterpillars, turn poisonous themselves, in some cases close off some of the transport paths so that they wouldn't "bleed dry" etc. So there are quite a few things plants actively do in response to being harmed.

[kitsune93]

Plenty of plants can send chemical signals for wasps to lay eggs in the pesky caterpillars, turn poisonous themselves, in some cases close off some of the transport paths so that they wouldn't "bleed dry" etc. So there are quite a few things plants actively do in response to being harmed.

That doesn't prove they can feel pain though. Pretty much all living organisms respond to environmental stimuli.

In order to feel 'pain' though you need a nervous system which plants don't have.

[renlacarne]

as my zoology teacher explained to us in a class session

pain is just a sensory experience and due to the differences in nervous systems they do not feel pain as we necessarily feel it they do not have the same exact nervous system with the same pain receptors

they do feel sensation though and if we define pain as a feeling of sensation and avoiding that sensation then yes plants can feel pain

it depends on your definition of 'pain' and how we would expect to determine said pain reception of an entirely different kingdom of living creatures since they arent even classed as animalia

[Twyro]

If I paid enough attention in my biology classes (and I think that I did since I was always interested in it), plants do not have nervous systems and therefore feel no pain. But either way, I think it's pointless and just barbaric to harm a plant in any way. They are living creatures too!

[sparkle10184]

But either way, I think it's pointless and just barbaric to harm a plant in any way. They are living creatures too!

So you're against the consumption of vegetables/fruits/herbs?

[Twyro]

So you're against the consumption of vegetables/fruits/herbs?

Hahahaha I forgot about that! No, of course not, but I'm saying that, for example, parents shouldn't let their kids just wander around and ruin someone's prized vegetation for the sake of their hyperactivity. I've seen that when I was on vacation in Egypt where they were savagely stepping all over the hotel garden and ruining the flowers. I mean, come on!

Edited January 9, 2015 by *Silver Fox*