I've noticed on this sub that this concepts pops up a lot, and both vegans, and non-vegans alike, present some awful arguments relating to this matter.
I want to be clear, arguments surrounding this topic are bad, because this isn't a topic to give any weight to. Plants do not "feel" pain. They have no central nervous system to process pain, and they cannot "experience" pain.
There is no science that would ever support the idea that a plant can experience pain. Plants do have stress responses, can transmit information using electrical signals and have mechanical responses (such as a venus flytrap's trigger hair). These responses are reflexive, not conscious, and completely one-directional, so there is no feedback loop that would indicate active processing of this input. It simply just 'happens'.
We must stop debating this. Its a closed topic, much like evolution, if someone is against the science, you can choose whether you wish to educate them, or whether you wish to ignore them. But there is no argument to be had.
Before engaging in any "meaningful" discussion relating to the plants feel pain crowd, they need to be coming from the angle earnestly - only you can determine whether they are being genuine about their plant-pain query, or if they're attempting to mock you.
To deal with the 'Plants feel pain too' crowd, here is your flowchart:
If you want to be objectively correct;
- 'How does a plant with no central nervous system, and no pain receptors experience pain? And what mechanisms does it use to process and perceive pain without a central nervous system?'
If you want to be cheeky;
- 'Sounds fascinating! What academic journal did you read that in?'
If you want to be polite (in an office setting);
- "Oh that sounds a bit odd, lets look up nociception (pain reception) in plants together'
- Fun fact, they'll immediately be met with it being debunked.
- "Damn, looks like I get to enjoy my tomatoes then!"
- Fun fact, they'll immediately be met with it being debunked.
If its a mate that is uninformed;
- 'I think you might be confusing a stress response, with pain'
There is no need to respond beyond this point, this isn't some argument in your head, or in the shower that you're winning by yourself.
There isn't 'winning', there isn't a competition, there isn't a discussion. They're ignorant if the point isn't seen.
But there is one final one:
The person says that science can change, and that plants not feeling pain is outdated:
- "There are over 370,000 species of plant, and none have demonstrated a central nervous system, neurons, or a brain. None are capable of processing or experiencing pain, and none have any semblance of consciousness. When a plant exists that has any one of these elements, I will be certain to include it as an exception."
There are many other rabbit holes that we can engage with here, but again, those aren't worth discussing.