I really don’t understand the argument of saying plants are sentient in some way because they emit chemicals when harmed or recoil. My knee jumps up if I tap it with a hammer, my brain pulls my hand away from a hot stove before I can even register any pain, neither of those are “sentient” actions, that’s just how the cells respond to stimulus, and that automatic response is because of natural selection, not sentient choices or sensations. It’s like saying an auto-closing door is sentient and we ought not try to open it because whenever you try to open it it closes itself, so it “dislikes” being open.
I really don’t understand the argument of saying plants are sentient in some way because they emit chemicals when harmed or recoil. My knee jumps up if I tap it with a hammer, my brain pulls my hand away from a hot stove before I can even register any pain, neither of those are “sentient” actions, that’s just how the cells respond to stimulus, and that automatic response is because of natural selection, not sentient choices or sensations. It’s like saying an auto-closing door is sentient and we ought not try to open it because whenever you try to open it it closes itself, so it “dislikes” being open.