Quote Originally Posted by Raistlin
Using your arguments, you cannot say that your pet dog wants, or feels as we do. Just because they have reactions, does not mean they "think" the stimulous is negative eh? Who knows if animals do really think and feel in that case... Apples and oranges man...
Again, this is wrong. A dog can feel pain (has a nervous system), can think (somewhat...not sentient, but capable of making choices) and can cognizantly react. Put two dogs in the same situation, and they will react differently, depending on their own experiences, how they were raised, etc. Put two plants in the same situation, and the only difference in reaction comes from genes.

Again, feeling and cognizantly reacting is a fine line. Killing a fly is nothing, because a fly is more or less about as alive as a piece of grass - it has no concept of being alive. Humans do, as well as certain types of animals.
K, seems odd to simply call em wrong, but lets work with this. first you say that a dog can feel pain because it has a nervous system. As we have said and implied in previous posts, it depends on your view of pain, and even then, pain is metephorically used.

Plants will also act differently in the same situation depending on what they are used too. If you move a tree from a normally sunny area, to a suddenly very dark area, it will react differently and slower than a tree that is from wisconsin, and knows to shed its leaves when the daylight hours become shorter. What controls this? I am not sure, but I would hazard a guess that they have some sort of process similar to that of our dog. My biology class did an experiment on the stimulants of plants, but that was so long ago. I should do some more reasearch again, it was kinda interesting.

The fact is, we don't know what a dog things when it sees a car comming at it, or what a plant thinks when the lawn mower comes at it. I would agree that plants are simpler, but I would also say that they have life, and if you say that animals feel pain, you must say that plants do too or prove me wrong.

What my whole argument is for, is to find out the answer to a simple question: "Why do animal rights types say that it is wrong to do things to animals because they can feel pain, when plants have many of the same reactions to negetive stimulus as animals do?" To add, many people won't eat animals, but have no issues eating a plant. Life ends either way.

I just find it interesting - sadly lol
Bipper