Do Plants Feel Pain?

As a young teen, I was rather disturbed to discover that plants could feel pain. The very idea that my BLT was a murder scene preyed on my mind for a while. I'd got the idea after reading a book called 'Supernature'. I understand the book was a million-seller in its day. The book made a lot of assertions and added a mystical dimension to standard biology. It described how a 'scientist' had wired his lab plant to a polygraph and been startled when it reacted like an anxious criminal.

The man was Cleve Backster, a man with a good provenance and reputation. As plants don't have a central nervous system or higher brain functions, he had to look elsewhere to explain his findings. Naturally, he drew conclusions that there must be some form of 'connectedness' of the plant world in relation to the intent of humans. He described how by merely 'intending' to burn a plant's leaves, the polygraph would react violently.

HIs findings have been accepted by some and rejected by others like skepdic.com. The TV show Myth Busters confirmed his findings straight away

They then redesigned the tests under appropriately controlled scientific conditions. No significant change was found in the plants no matter the level of hostile intent. They went on to replicate the test with bacterial cultures and even blood. Nothing whatsoever. An excellent account of Backster's findings, theories and why they were almost entirely mistaken is found here.

As far as things stand, there is no evidence that plants can or do feel pain.

Edited for poor proof reading



[edit on 3-1-2009 by Kandinsky]

Kirlian Photography has shown that plants increase their aura's just as people do when experiencing a physical sensation. Kirlian Photogrpahy also has shown aura's on missing limbs, such as an amputated leg or other, it also has shown aura's on plants with cut leaves and even the leaves themselves also continue to show auras.



Cheers!!!!

I have a book called "the secret life of plants" written by Erik Von daniken, this book covers exactly this subject, plants were wired to various instruments including lie detectors and when the plants were exposed to different conditions like leafs would be heated or broken or plants would be placed together and isolated from light and all kinds of things,

the results were startling revealing that plants do seem to respond to pain as well as other environments,

Originally posted by stealthyaroura
I have a book called "the secret life of plants" written by Erik Von daniken...

i also have that book - it's one of the few that i recommend everyone reads!!

on a minor note, do fish feel pain?

i'm trying to go vegetarian but i've heard that some eat fish... i already think that i don't eat nearly enough fish as it is, so i'm trying to eat only fish and poultry instead of any other meats, so as to make a manageable transition to vegetarianism!

great thread, by the way! i've heard something along the lines that plants like to be eaten, as they are here to provide nourishment. i've also heard that eating/killing animals amounts to much more bad karma than eating plants - killing anything is bad karma, but it's much less for eating plants, for nothing is karmically uninvolved!

[edit on 4-1-2009 by adrenochrome]