According to Cleve Baxter, inventor of the modern polygraph, he discovered plant life did respond to “pain.”
He was an interesting guy, we had a few conversations about such things before he passed. He was never a supporter that a poly should be used as THE tool to detect deception, but could be used to investigate possible mind-driven responses to external stimuli-like pain and other physiological inputs. Of course trees don’t have a mind but he did measure responses in plant life when subjected to abuse.
Just saying.
He also tried to convince me that yogurt cultures as well as plants could detect the “stress” of a polygraph subject!
He was a very interesting guy - I remember reading about his plant stuff decades ago. You can still find interviews with him online.
I’ve heard that too. And I believe it. I also know that time lapse photography shows how plants do a lot of moving around due to their environment.
That being said, I divide creation into two groups:
1. Man
2. Natural resource (everything else).
I think plants respond to “pain” in the same way my computer responds to me hitting the T key. It is programmed to do a certain thing when a certain thing happens. The word “pain” implies feeling and human sentience, which nothing on the planet has, except for man. I don’t give it a second thought when I squish a bug or spider, or mow my lawn. Or kill a mouse. Or pretty much anything else regarding the “feeling” of things not human.
Heck, even in the bible, though it appears that there is concern when it talks about “do not muzzle the ox”. But look at what 1 Cor 9:9-10 says:
“For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.”
Animals are property and should be treated with the same respect with which you would treat your other property, like making sure your oil is changed in your car.