Plant Sentience

Argument #5 of 13

The Argument

Plants respond to being cut, eaten, or damaged. They release chemical distress signals. They communicate with each other through root systems and fungal networks. Some plants can even "hear" the sound of caterpillars eating their leaves and change their chemical composition in response. The Venus flytrap actively hunts prey. Plants compete for resources, protect their offspring, and exhibit behaviors that look remarkably like survival instincts.

We don't have access to the subjective experience of plants, just like we don't have access to the subjective experience of insects or even other humans. We infer suffering based on behavior and biology. Plants exhibit defensive behaviors. They have electrical signals similar to animal nervous systems. They respond to anesthetics the same way animals do. If our criteria for avoiding harm is "we can't prove they don't suffer," then we can't prove plants don't suffer either.

The vegan who says "but plants don't have a central nervous system" is just drawing an arbitrary line based on similarity to human biology. A truly consistent position would acknowledge we can't survive without causing some harm, so we should stop pretending veganism solves the ethical problem of eating.

The Response

[Response to be added]