Do plants have a brain,i mean how do they think or react?

  • Thread starter Thread starter thunkit
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Mean Plants
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the question of whether plants possess a form of "thinking" or a "brain" and how they react to stimuli such as light, gravity, and support structures. Participants explore the mechanisms behind plant behavior, drawing comparisons to animal responses and cellular interactions, while considering the implications of using terms like "brain" and "thinking" in the context of plant biology.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants inquire about how plants sense light and grow towards it, questioning the mechanisms behind these behaviors.
  • One participant suggests that all multicellular life, including plants, involves coordinated cellular interactions, similar to how brains process information in animals.
  • Another participant emphasizes that not all bodily functions are controlled by the brain, highlighting that many vital actions occur independently of it.
  • There is a discussion about whether plants have a "controller" akin to a brain, with some arguing that plants operate through distributed feedback mechanisms rather than a centralized control system.
  • Some participants express concerns about anthropocentric views of memory and decision-making, suggesting that these concepts should not be limited to humans and may apply to other organisms, including plants.
  • One participant notes that the cells in a plant's roots may function similarly to brain cells, proposing a potential parallel in their behavior.
  • Several participants caution against using terms like "thinking" and "brain" in relation to plants, warning that it can lead to misunderstandings and mischaracterizations of plant biology.
  • There is a recognition that defining "thinking" and "brain" is complex and that discussions around these terms often lack consensus.
  • Some participants argue that skepticism in scientific discussions can discourage innovation and that terms like "crackpot" may be used too liberally, potentially stifling creative thought.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on whether plants can be said to "think" or possess a "brain," with no consensus reached. The discussion includes both supportive and critical perspectives on the use of these terms in relation to plant behavior.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the complexity of defining concepts like "thinking" and "brain," noting that these definitions can vary widely and lead to ongoing debates without clear resolutions.

  • #31
ryan_m_b said:
Yes we are made from matter, all matter interacts (energy). The emergent property of the interaction of our brain creates consciousness. The last two sentences of your post do not make sense

look, its just like the phrase, "what came first, the chicken or the egg." but in this case its, "what came first, God or existence. I am disappointed that you all believe that this is my own crackpot theory when its just what iv'e heard and read on the internet. and you can never be 100% sure there's always goin to be a lot more to nature than we think.
 
Biology news on Phys.org
  • #32
ryan_m_b said:
Totally agree! It drives me up the wall that people grab at buzzwords like quantum and nano and attach them to their ideologies to make them seem more legitimate when in actual fact they have little or no understanding of the science involved.

If you're sitting down here's a fun quantum link

EDIT: Link removed about Quantum jumping

Everyone has a basic understanding of Quantum physics. i don't see the problem with throwing the word around. no one is trying to be arrogant!
 
  • #33
Roysun said:
look, its just like the phrase, "what came first, the chicken or the egg." but in this case its, "what came first, God or existence. I am disappointed that you all believe that this is my own crackpot theory when its just what iv'e heard and read on the internet. and you can never be 100% sure there's always goin to be a lot more to nature than we think.

1. Don't believe everything you hear and everything you read - internet has a lot of good but also has a very large collection of crap.

2. There may be more than we think, but that does not mean we can fill in the blanks with fairy tales (as per that brilliant Dara O'Briain quote).

3. Leave god out of it, there's no reason to invoke it in any way, shape or form.
Roysun said:
Everyone has a basic understanding of Quantum physics. i don't see the problem with throwing the word around. no one is trying to be arrogant!

No, hardly anyone understands it. Don't make things up.

The majority of the public haven't got a clue about it.

It is bad to throw the word around because it doesn't mean anything in the incorrect context in which it is being used (by yourself and others).

No one said anyone is being arrogant, just using terms incorrectly.
 
Last edited:
  • #34
micromass said:
What does quantum physics have to do with anything. And what do you mean that consciousness creates energy? It makes no sense whatever...

And what do you mean "everything is consciousness"? Consciousness comes to existence through neuron interactions in our brain, it's nothing more than that. And consciousness does not travel "faster than light", like your other posts tells us. It is nonsense...

i was just stating what i have read and seen on the internet. some people see consciousness as a connection to spirituality. Everything being consciousness is a theory from people that believe in a prime creator. with consciousness we are able to minipulate energy, matter and etc.
 
  • #35
Roysun said:
i was just stating what i have read and seen on the internet.

As above.
some people consciousness as a connection to spirituality. Everything being consciousness is a theory from people that believe in a prime creator.

Well, let's leave it out. It doesn't belong here. Stick to the mainstream.
with consciousness we are able to minipulate energy, matter and etc.

Unless you are referring to it in a "it let's us control arm movements" way, that's completely crap.
 
  • #36
Roysun said:
... I am disappointed that you all believe that this is my own crackpot theory when its just what iv'e heard and read on the internet. and you can never be 100% sure there's always goin to be a lot more to nature than we think.

It may not be your own crackpot theory, but it is a crackpot theory with no scientific basis, and there's no need to repeat it here. The Internet is far from the most accurate of sources. While there is a lot of good information on the Internet, there's an extremely high noise to signal ratio.

Roysun said:
Everyone has a basic understanding of Quantum physics. i don't see the problem with throwing the word around. no one is trying to be arrogant!

Actually very few people fully understand quantum mechanics. In these situations, "quantum" becomes a meaningless buzzword without any scientific significance.
 
  • #37
hm well none the less these are topics i need to study on more. but it truly seems that existence is a lot more than just particle and energy connections.
 
  • #38
There's evidence for plants utilizing quantum mechanics for photosynthesis:
http://sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/files/iqLVYI/Fleming 2004 Nature 431 256.pdf

The philosophy you're implying is called "panpsychism" and as you can see, it's not a very popular view. But any question of whether other things (animals, plants, weather, rocks) have a subjective experience is not really a biological question at this point. These kinds of discussion take place in the philosophy forums instead.

We have absolutely no idea what's special about our matter/energy configuration that allows us to have subjective experiences. In the philosophy forum, topics like panpsychism come up, but there's also an interest in more tangible approaches, like information theory. You would find more productive answers to your inquiries there (but don't go too fast, quantum consciousness is considered "crackpot" even by most neurophilosophers).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #39
Pythagorean said:
There's evidence for plants utilizing quantum mechanics for photosynthesis:
http://sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/files/iqLVYI/Fleming 2004 Nature 431 256.pdf

The philosophy you're implying is called "panpsychism" and as you can see, it's not a very popular view. But any question of whether other things (animals, plants, weather, rocks) have a subjective experience is not really a biological question at this point. These kinds of discussion take place in the philosophy forums instead.

We have absolutely no idea what's special about our matter/energy configuration that allows us to have subjective experiences. In the philosophy forum, topics like panpsychism come up, but there's also an interest in more tangible approaches, like information theory. You would find more productive answers to your inquiries there (but don't go too fast, quantum consciousness is considered "crackpot" even by most neurophilosophers).

im new to this whole site and i had no idea that there was a philosophy forum. could you locate it for me?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #40
Roysun said:
im new to this whole site and i had no idea that there was a philosophy forum. could you locate it for me?

https://www.physicsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=112

Make sure you read the rules before launching into anything. They were changed recently and made strict to ensure quality posting.
 
  • #41
Roysun said:
im new to this whole site and i had no idea that there was a philosophy forum. could you locate it for me?

it's a subforum within the "General Discussion" subforum almost at the bottom of the main forum page. So a subsubforum :)
 
  • #42
Roysun said:
it truly seems that existence is a lot more than just particle and energy connections.

What makes you say that? I really don't see the need for quantum physics to be involved in consciousness anymore than it is involved in any macroscale science
 
  • #43
ryan_m_b said:
What makes you say that? I really don't see the need for quantum physics to be involved in consciousness anymore than it is involved in any macroscale science

it does because we all hear much about astrology, psychics, spirits and the paranormal including intuition. there must be things in existence that just isn't comprehendable. everything exists for a reason so how and why would people speak on the paranormal.
 
  • #44
Roysun said:
it does because we all hear much about astrology, psychics, spirits and the paranormal including intuition. there must be things in existence that just isn't comprehendable. everything exists for a reason so how and why would people speak on the paranormal.

People like to make things up, especially if it makes them money. That's why people do it, that's the motivation. Oh no, have I spoilt your fantasy that it's all real?

There is zero evidence for the paranormal or anything you list above existing.
 
  • #45
Roysun said:
it does because we all hear much about astrology, psychics, spirits and the paranormal including intuition.

Yes, of course we have all heard about it. And if you look it up on the internet, then you would find billions of sites about it. But we've also heard of vampires and werewolves. Do you think those things are real.

There is absolutely NO evidence for paranormal phenomena. So if you think scientifically, then these things do not exist. Fine, believe in it if it makes you happy, but that doesn't make it real.

there must be things in existence that just isn't comprehendable. everything exists for a reason

Why would everything exist for a reason? I've heard a lot of people saying that, but I could never comprehend people saying that. Things exist because they exist, why do there have to be a reason behind everything?
 
  • #46
Topic locked, everything that should be said was already said.
 

Similar threads

Can Plants Possess Consciousness?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
13K
How do I identify different bacteria on culture plates?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
31K
How do I level up my brain? (Studying AI for college exam)
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
SciFi Idea: What do you think about very long lifespans?
  • · Replies 51 ·
2
Replies
51
Views
14K
How Can You Think Like a Scientist?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
Undergrad Why no plane waves of macroscopic bodies? The micro-macro threshold...
  • · Replies 41 ·
2
Replies
41
Views
5K
Meet Evo: Biweekly Series on Mentors & Regenerative Medicine Advances
  • · Replies 64 ·
3
Replies
64
Views
18K
Programs Is Environmental Engineering capitalized?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
What colors and attributes could alien flora & fauna have?
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
6K
Quantum Workforce Elements, Toolbox for QIS Programs at Universities
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K