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Quote by: big_lefty  I tend to agree,
In fact, some studies have been done which suggest plants have feelings. However, there will likely never be a conclusive answer to this because of our lack of understanding of organisms which do not hvae nervous systems as we do.
In one study, researchers hooked up electrodes to trees and consistently got a response when they cut off limbs.
Other interesting stuff;
"Biologists at the University of Turin and the Max Planck Institute in Jena were yesterday reported to have found evidence that plants sensed — and reacted to — the presence of hungry, leaf-chomping grubs. Their response was to emit an odour similar to lavender. This alerted other plants to the presence of a predator." The Hindu : Can plants feel?
"Plants are able to recognise their siblings, according to a study appearing today in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.
Researchers at McMaster University have found that plants get fiercely competitive when forced to share their pot with strangers of the same species, but they’re accommodating when potted with their siblings.
“The ability to recognize and favour kin is common in animals, but this is the first time it has been shown in plants” Susan Dudley, associate professor of biology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, said. “When plants share their pots, they get competitive and start growing more roots, which allows them to grab water and mineral nutrients before their neighbours get them. It appears, though, that they only do this when sharing a pot with unrelated plants; when they share a pot with family they don’t increase their root growth. Because differences between groups of strangers and groups of siblings only occurred when they shared a pot, the root interactions may provide a cue for kin recognition.”
Though they lack cognition and memory, the study shows plants are capable of complex social behaviours such as altruism towards relatives, says Dudley. Like humans, the most interesting behaviours occur beneath the surface." Plants 'recognize' their siblings | Press Esc
Ask yourself why plants grow faster when you play music for them and talk to them.
It may well be that they are far more sensitive than animals. |
Plants do not have nerves, nerve bundles, or a central nervous system. They are not animals. While it is true that humans do know everything there is to know about their world, we do know every physical feature of a plant and the exact functions that these physical features perform.
While they may have structural changes with environmental changes, this is only a sign that they are making structural changes with environmental changes, nothing more. Likening these changes to "thought" or "feelings" is no different than saying that the robots at an automobile factory are thinking and feeling.
Research into plants "feeling" is mysticism and right on par with "studying" ghosts and searching for Bigfoot. And it is really annoying that it frequently pops up as people try to justify killing fellow animals for food. Plants and animals are as different as animals and minerals.
If you are going to delve into the realm of mysticism to support eating food that tastes good to you then it would be easier if you went the Christian route. Aside from the Christian god creating all life on Earth as vegetarian in Genesis, he clearly makes eating meat the punishment for Adam and Eve's discretions in the Garden of Eden. So, from a Christian standpoint, you are partaking of one of god's required, Old Testament, punishments when you eat meat.