alt Hacker NewsAlternative hypothesis: Given that plants do not have a central nervous system, it is reasonable to expect they have a distributed consciousness.
Recall that most plants avoid building single-purpose organs, as the odds that 70-80% of the plant gets eaten are high. Plants have evolved to survive massive loss of body parts.
I've read some studies on plant consciousness which shows that plant awareness can be turned off with anesthetics
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block_dagger • 12/08/2024
Can you cite those studies please? Very interested.
> it is reasonable to expect they have a distributed consciousness.
Why would it be reasonable to expect they have any consciousness? What would plants do with such a consciousness that they’re wasting scarce energy on both operating and building the biological structures to maintain consciousness? They can’t move. They can’t take active actions. Why would they develop a consciousness that does nothing but makes them aware of their implementing doom without allowing them to act on it?
> Recall that most plants avoid building single-purpose organs, as the odds that 70-80% of the plant gets eaten are high. Plants have evolved to survive massive loss of body parts.
You know what would be really useful to evolve to survive the loss of body parts? Not suffering and feeling pain when you do, or even being aware that you just did. Especially when not being mobile in anyways you can’t do anything about it.
> I've read some studies on plant consciousness which shows that plant awareness can be turned off with anesthetics
Citation needed.
Actually I’ll make it even easier. Start with studies that show plant awareness in the first place, before you show studies showing it can be switched off.