What if plants had feelings?

[applecorped]

What if science could demonstrably show that plants had the ability to experience pain?


What would vegetarians and/or vegans do?

Not being either I can't comment but if there are any vegetarians/vegans out there that have an opinion, I would be grateful for your input.

 

[linusrichard]

I did a report on this in middle school. The experiment that always stood out for me was when they hooked up the electrodes to the plants to "read" their "feelings." Whenever they gave the plants water or sunshine or love or companionship or conversation or music, the readings went one way. And when they gave the plants abuse, or destroyed another plant in front of one of the plants, the readings went the other way. But here's the fun part: when they killed a plant with the intention of using it for food, the readings of the other plants went the "good" way.

So - I'm not necessarily convinced that plants have feelings, but if they do, I think they're down with being eaten. But not with being destroyed for no reason.

 

[The_Animus]

The other plants were just relieved it was the other guy and not them.

 

[Neverfly]

I did a report on this in middle school. The experiment that always stood out for me was when they hooked up the electrodes to the plants to "read" their "feelings." Whenever they gave the plants water or sunshine or love or companionship or conversation or music, the readings went one way. And when they gave the plants abuse, or destroyed another plant in front of one of the plants, the readings went the other way. But here's the fun part: when they killed a plant with the intention of using it for food, the readings of the other plants went the "good" way.

So - I'm not necessarily convinced that plants have feelings, but if they do, I think they're down with being eaten. But not with being destroyed for no reason.

This is the weirdest thing I've ever read in my life.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

This is the weirdest thing I've ever read in my life.

Na. Depending on the OP's age -- he has either read Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land -- grass grocks it likes being walked on, or Adam's Restaurant at the End of the Universe -- the cow looks forward to being the evening's meal.

 

[ServiceSoon]

Then the plants would kill us just like the movie "THe Happening."

 

[Neverfly]

I admit, I would like to know much more about how such an experiment was conducted.

For example: How would the plant know the intentions of the killer? Do you say aloud, "I am killing you as waste!"
"I am killing you as food!"
And then commit the dastardly deed and observe the readings?

 

[Elizabeth I]

But here's the fun part: when they killed a plant with the intention of using it for food, the readings of the other plants went the "good" way.

Schmoos.

 

[BigAl]

What if science could demonstrably show that plants had the ability to experience pain?


What would vegetarians and/or vegans do?

Not being either I can't comment but if there are any vegetarians/vegans out there that have an opinion, I would be grateful for your input.

Well, I lived in a hotbed of vegetarians, NYC's Greenwich Village in the late 60s and pseudo-science about plants was in the air, See the reprint of a 1966 article, below. It was commonly said that some professor at New York University used EKG machines to demonstrate all sorts of evidence of awareness in foliage.

I never heard any New Age veggie eater worry about bad karma for eating his conscious salad. (OTOH, I did get food poisoning in a macrobiotic restaurant once.)

http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/philosophy/Personnel/susan/LucyRhiannonRuth/CB ground breaking.html​

There is all sorts of nutttery on that web site;

http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/philosophy/Personnel/susan/LucyRhiannonRuth/title page.html​

 

[fromdownunder]

I had an alien spaceship of sentient plants visit me the other evening. The head Potato came out of the ship, and said take me to your weeder.

Norm

 

[madurobob]

What if science could demonstrably show that plants had the ability to experience pain?


What would vegetarians and/or vegans do?

Not being either I can't comment but if there are any vegetarians/vegans out there that have an opinion, I would be grateful for your input.

Well, I'm more or less a vegetarian. My input is that I really see no point in getting lost in silly hypotheticals. What if scientists proved burning gasoline made the planet Jupiter weep. How would this impact your transportation decisions?

But, if you really want to do this, why not explain what YOU would do if your scenario became reality? Why?

 

[Sun Countess]

Fruitarians don't kill plants, but only eat the fruit that falls from them.

 

[linusrichard]

Na. Depending on the OP's age -- he has either read Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land -- grass grocks it likes being walked on, or Adam's Restaurant at the End of the Universe -- the cow looks forward to being the evening's meal.

I read both of them - I don't remember if Restaurant was before or after this, but Stranger was after. Also, I was wrong in the OP, this report was in high school, 9th grade IIRC.

I admit, I would like to know much more about how such an experiment was conducted.

For example: How would the plant know the intentions of the killer? Do you say aloud, "I am killing you as waste!"
"I am killing you as food!"
And then commit the dastardly deed and observe the readings?

I don't think so. I think the idea was that the plant somehow knew, maybe by picking up on the "vibes" of the researchers? Obviously that's the interpretation, not the methodology or data, but I'm pretty sure the researchers tried to get in an angry state of mind when destroying the plant, and like a "harvesting" state of mind, whatever that might be, when taking the plant for food. This was almost 20 years ago, you understand (not the experiments, but me reading about them), so you'll forgive me for not remembering every detail.

Schmoos.

Nice. I was also thinking about Doozers - a little less morbid.

 

[Neverfly]

Oh, so this proves that plants are psychic.

 

[six7s]

Oh, so this proves that plants are psychic.

Not necessarily...

Instead, it seems as though vegetables aren't the dumbest things in the kitchen

 

[six7s]

...when they hooked up the electrodes to the plants to "read" their "feelings." Whenever they gave the plants water or sunshine or love or companionship or conversation or music, the readings went one way. ...

Who are/were 'they'?

 

[linusrichard]

Who are/were 'they'?

The people doing the experiments. Sorry, I wrote that post kind of poorly, I guess.

 

[six7s]

The people doing the experiments. Sorry, I wrote that post kind of poorly, I guess.

If you can name them, please do

Dates, places, etc of their experiments too, please

 

[Wowbagger]

Well, we all gotta eat something. It might as well be something as far removed from us, in the family tree, as possible.

 

[linusrichard]

If you can name them, please do

Dates, places, etc of their experiments too, please

Oh, sorry, no. This was a long time ago, I don't remember any of that.